Two Worlds
by Rebelrugger0307
Summary: Arianna Carver,the strong, assertive independent college student suddenly finds herself in Middle Earth fighting more than just orcs and the evils of Saruman. Can she win the battle her heart is fighting or will she give in to the great warrior Eomer?
1. Welcome to Middle Earth

**Author's Note: I recently went through this story after receiving a rather scathing review. I wrote this story YEARS ago. It was my first attempt at anything like this. It was also a time when I was pretty mad at the world, and it quite obviously comes through in the story. I realize there are plot holes, typos, canon errors....I could go in and fill holes, fix dialog and clean this story up, but I've moved on and really don't feel like it. Really, this was just for giggles. If you're offended by cussing, or chicks with major attitude problems, stop reading now and pick a different story.**

* * *

Rain dripped quietly down the thick glass of Ari's Fourth floor window. She lay in bed, her face crushed against the bunk top, and watched sadly as each drop slithered out of view. Her only happy thought was that she had a soccer game in a few short hours.

"_Muddy games are always the best."_

She put on her baggy wind pants over her spandex shorts and threw her shiny black game shorts in a back pack. She also threw in her black leather pants and her 'club shirt' with her make-up and stuff to take a shower with after the game was done. She knew it would be a long night. Ari's cleats were already tied to the outside of her pack and on her way out the door she put on her heavy boots. Outside her dorm, Ari's shiny black and purple motorcycle sat beneath a canvas tarp. It wasn't the greatest day to be riding her bike, but Ari's car was in the shop and she didn't have a choice but to ride the ten miles to the game. Once there she hopped off and covered her baby with the canvas tarp she kept rolled in the bottom of her bag for just such occasions. There was no sense having to sit on a wet bike after the game.

The guys' team met the girls on the field. Ari ignored the cat calls and shouts from the men. Yeah, she'd had a fuck buddy on the guys' team for a while, but she had cut the "Friends with Benefits" activity off more than two months before. She hadn't been laid since…..the sexual tension was starting to drive her insane.

"Hey, Ari! How about you let me be your motorcycle tonight!" Damien shouted to her. "I promise I'll purr underneath you!" He hadn't been her "FWB" but he knew about the relationship, everyone did. He was a horn dog and would hit on anything with tits, two legs and a heartbeat.

"Only if you can suck your own dick, Ass-wipe." Ari didn't even turn to face him, but knew from the laughs she'd not only shot him down, but embarrassed him.

"That would be a negative ghost rider!" Cameron said laughing.

The game went by slowly for Ari, but hard. She had the wind knocked from her late in the first half. The second half was muddy but at least the sun had come out, making everything muggy and a little miserable. Ari scored twice, but still felt odd. She wasn't sure if it was from the hit she'd taken to the head or if it was because something big was going to happen.

"_Maybe I'll get laid."_ Ari thought. "_Nah, there's no way that's going to happen, I'm not that lucky."_ She thought as the game ended. The girls went to the locker rooms to shower and change for the evening. Ari let the water relax her tense muscles and then got out and toweled off. She pulled on her leather pants and her white club top. She pulled a comb through her long damp hair and shook it out making sure the dark purple streaks would show. She threw everything back in her bag, muddy or not, and went outside to her motorbike. She rolled the tarp up and placed it in the top of her back pack. Ari swung her leg casually and just a little bit sensually over her bike and went to turn it on.

"Meow! Now that's a sexy sight!" Damien called out from the back of someone's cavalier as it pulled up rather close to Ari. "How do I get a piece of that?"

"You cut off your dick and mail it to me."

"Ari, don't be such a bitch!" Sharon was in the back seat next to Damien. Though she had played soccer with Ari once, she no longer did and was now just a whore for the men's team. It was common knowledge and everyone knew it.

"There's your tail Damien….how many sluts do you guys need anyway?" The guys in the front seat started laughing as they pulled away while Sharon was in the back seat irate.

"Hey Ari!" Mark ran up to the bike just as she was getting ready to go.

"What?" Ari was a little annoyed and just wanted to get to the bar and start drinking. Besides, she and Mark had once been an item and Ari didn't exactly feel like talking to the cheating son of a bitch.

"Ride carefully, OK? The roads are still slick as hell."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you at the bar." Ari pulled away and started riding across town.

Ari was one of those singular girls blessed with the frame of an athlete. She had the kind of body men lusted after and girls could work on for years and never get at any gym or with any diet; long tone legs from years of playing soccer, a flat stomach and well muscled arms. Her mother was part Cherokee and her father Black Irish. Ari bore the dark skin of her mother and straight black hair that came from both sides. Her mother had been furious when she'd found out that Ari had died the purple streaks into her hair. "Your hair is so pretty….YOU'RE pretty….why did you go and do something like that?" Her mother had chided. Ari had gray eyes that she'd inherited from her father's side of the family. Though her facial features were plain enough by themselves, her genetics made her a rarity in a world where rare beauty was coveted.

Ari leaned low over her bike and turned it slowly up Fifth Street and continued to cruise. The team always partied at a local bar and Ari coveted the alone time, sticking to a 'long cut' to the bar.

She wasn't paying much attention to the road when suddenly a giant sinkhole opened in the road before her. The car in the lane beside her slammed on its brakes and Ari wrenched her bike sideways but only succeeded in spinning it off the steep cliff.

* * *

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Ari sat up and looked around slowly. Her arms and hands were a little sore and cut and scraped in places, her white shirt was stained by dirt and blood, shredded to the point where she'd never be able to wear it again. She was surprised to be alive. "I really ought to start wearing a helmet." She said out loud as she rubbed the back of her head. There was a small bump, but nothing that she couldn't deal with later. She got up and brushed her self off. Her bike was trashed. It wasn't anything her grandfather couldn't fix, but it was not ride able in its current state. Ari put on her leather jacket and slung her back pack across her shoulder, prepared to climb the cliff out of the sink hole.

"Do you need a hand, M'lady?" Ari looked up and stared at the figures above her on the cliff.

"Jesus, you think they could have sent someone down to check on me by now…." Ari grumbled as she stepped away from the cliff to get a better look up. "Yeah! Totally!" She shouted up.

"Here!" Ari took hold of the long gray rope tossed to her and tied it around her waist. "Go ahead and pull!" She called up when she was ready. She scrambled up the cliff while the people above her hauled her up. As she crawled over the edge she realized she wasn't in Prestonville anymore. The road and farm country that she'd been in just moments before was gone, now replaced with virgin rolling hills. Tall yellow grasses blew gently like waves across the land. The men standing around her were dressed in shades of brown, green and gray, nothing of which resembled anything worn in the twentieth century.

"What's with the capes?" Ari asked as she untied the rope from her waist and another man coiled it.

"M'Lady?"

"Where am I?"

"This is Rohan, Miss. Do you not know this place?"

"Right…..and I am the queen of mother fucking England." Ari laughed as she dusted her pants off.

"Pardon me?" Ari looked at the men and took in their looks and mannerisms. All were looking at her as if she were insane. Her surroundings were clean and pristine and untouched by human development.

"Who are you, and where am I, really?"

"I believe we should be asking the questions, madam." One of the men said mounting a horse. "Such as your name, if you have one." Someone lowered a spear in her general direction and another man made a move for his sword, the only sounds now being the gentle pawing of the horses against the earth and an occasional clink of armor.

"I'm Ari. Arianna Carver." Ari suddenly felt nervous. "My motorcycle went over the edge of a sink hole….I must have conked out or something because I woke up here."

"My name is Maleth. I am a marshal for the Rohirrim." Ari stared blankly at the man who bowed towards her. Then she took in the other men; all had fair eyes and most had light hair. "We will take you to the king, Lady Arianna….he shall know what to do with you."

"King?"

"Yes, King Théoden of Rohan."

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Could my day get any worse?" The men all stared at Ari as she kicked her bag in frustration and turned to face the wind, her hair whipping gently around her face. "OK, let's get this show on the road…" She said once she'd calmed down; she turned back and stared at Maleth.

"Can you ride?" He asked her.

"Yeah, no problem." Ari's mother bred horses and Ari had been on or near them most of her life. Ari swung up into the saddle and noticed many of the men were staring at her. They rode quickly in an Eastern direction and soon came to a walled city high on a hill. They were admitted readily and Ari was escorted up many steps to a great house. The friezes depicted many horses and Nordic type symbols and knots. Ari followed Maleth inside and looked on a man, sickly looking who sat in a chair at the head of the hall.

"M'lord…this woman was found several miles west….she does not seem to be from here."

"What is your name?" The old man's voice was wheezy and his waxy eyes searched for her at the end of the hall.

"Arianna Carver."

"Where are you from, M'lady Carver?"

"Prestonville, Missouri."

"Where is this place….?"

"Midwest United States. Look, I don't know how…"

"She is a spy! That much is clear sir. Look at her dress and listen to her speech!" This was spoken by a man who looked pail and wormy who was standing in the shadows just beside the King's throne.

"I most certainly am not a spy! I don't even know where the hell I am!" Ari shouted back.

"You should have her imprisoned." The wormy man whispered, but every sound carried in the deathly still hall.

"Excuse me?" The king waved his hand feebly and a man stepped forward to restrain Ari, but she would have none of it. She broke free of the guard with a quick fist to his nose. "Hold on just a second, Rocky. I want to see an ambassador…I have rights to a lawyer!"

"She speaks madness and attacks our king!" the wormy man shouted, "Seize her!" It took four guards to restrain the irate Arianna and carry her away to the dungeons shouting the whole way. "You haven't heard the end of this! Man, when they find out what you did, you are so FUCKED! Do you hear me?"

Ari was thrown roughly into a cell. There were no windows and the jail floors were covered with straw. Ari sat dejectedly against the wall and stared out at the guards pacing before the bars.

"You know, as soon as the embassy figures out what you guys have done, you are so fucked." She taunted at the guards from her seated position. Deep down inside she knew there was no embassy. This was no festival or convention….this was the real deal. She'd somehow landed herself in Middle Earth. She'd read the books of course…back when she'd actually given a damn in middle school. High School brought dark changes to her life, the death of her Grandmother and then suddenly her older brother. Ari stopped reading with the hunger she had in the earlier days, a hobby she and her brother had both taken pleasure in.

It took Ari less than a day to get bored with her surroundings and begin to pace. On the second day, she woke up tired and agitated. _"Even Middle Earth has rats!"_ She thought as she saw one slither into the straw. She shuddered. She knew she had to get out. She rummaged around for sometime before she found a loose flag stone in the floor and managed to pry several more up. After two days of digging, her hands were grubby and bleeding in places. She was growing tired and was running out of places to hide dirt. She started hiding it in the bucket that was to be used as a toilet. She got caught three days later and was moved to a different cell in a different part of the dungeons. From this cell, Ari began to harangue her captors that paced before her cell. She was bored…what else could she do? She stood with her face pressed against two bars and clasped the cold steel in her hands.

"So, are the women here good lays? I bet you wouldn't know…you've probably never slept with anything on two legs…."

"Did your mother make you that cape? How sweet, I bet she even made you your lunch today too."

"Hey, stupid! Yeah, you with the crooked nose—your mom beat you up or were you just born that ugly?"

Eventually they got pissed at her and began slapping her hands as she grasped the bars. It was a great game and she quickly learned which guards she could mess with and not get hit by. Even the ones that would strike her, she learned what their mannerisms were and reacted quickly to their spears striking the bars and keeping her hands out of range.

But Ari eventually got bored with this as well and she began to think about the lock on the door. Late one evening she began to pick it using two of her bobby pins and a knife from the food tray they brought her. The day she succeeded she scared herself. She hadn't expected the lock to give, but with a sudden loud 'POP' the door swung in gently. She boldly walked down the hall trying to find her way out. She had wandered for what seemed like an hour when she stumbled into a guard unit. She was taken back to her cell and bound with a length of rope. Ari wasn't about to let a little rope stop her and summarily chewed through it and picked the lock, this time with more ease as she knew what to do. She was always careful to hide her bobby pins back in her thick hair, and the guards never guessed what it was she was using to pick the locks. Next, they bound her with a thick leather strap. It took her several more days to wear the strap down against a pointed stone on the wall, but she eventually did it. When the guards discovered her wandering the labyrinthine corridors for a third time, the leather straps left in her cell, they brought the wormy man down to the dungeons for a visit.

Two guards flanked Ari and made sure she was standing before the jail door, her hands bound before her. The greasy little man entered the cell with a self importance that Ari knew the other men detested.

"Hey Asshole….how's it hanging?" Ari asked when the wormy man stood before her.

"Silence you insolent witch!" the wormy man hissed. "I don't know who you are, or what magic you're using, but I'll tolerate none of it." Ari eyed the door warily. It stood ajar, with only this single, pathetic man in her way.

"I'm not using voo doo if that's what you're implying." Ari responded.

"You are an insolent young woman…if you'd only behave…" Ari brought her fists into one guard's nose and simultaneously stomped the foot of the other guard. As he doubled over, she quickly elbowed him in the back, dropping him to his stomach on the cold stone floor. Ari pushed the wormy man into the bars of the cell as hard as she could and ran out the door. She had long since figured out how to exit the maze of tunnels and halls and made her way there as quickly as possible. Ari looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was pursuing her, but could only hear her pursuers following behind. She made it all the way to the outside world and blinked at the shock of the brightness of it. She was trying to get her bearings when something hit her savagely from behind. Her vision began to blur and she staggered forward a few steps, but not before she saw a handsome young man sitting on a horse looking down at her. She fell at the horse's feet and looked up at the man as the guards' drug her back into the darkness that was the dungeons.


	2. Jail Break

When Ari woke up she hurt all over. Her hands were manacled and chained to the wall, the heavy cuffs slicing into her skin. Shackles bound her ankles and a thick, short length of chain kept her feet from extending more than a half step. The chain would only let her walk a few feet, enough to pace a little bit and to use the bathroom. When she slept, the chains cut painfully into her sides. The only light in her cell came through a small door at the base of the door that opened and a bowl of water was slid through or gruel for an occasional meal. They were starving Ari into submission as well as a sporadic beating. She had no idea how long she languished in the dungeons. She tried to count but lost track at over 250,000 seconds. She tried to sing, shout, scream…anything to break the monotony—but only received warnings and was forced to go without food or water for prolonged periods of time. If she continued after the warnings, she was beaten severely.

Ari slept as best she could, curled beneath a thin, smelly blanket. She'd been beaten the day before for clanging her chains against the wall. Her face and sides hurt and she just wished her body would give up the ghost. Her teeth chattered in the damp of her cell when she saw a light appear higher than normal in the door.

"Maybe the floor is sinking…or maybe I'm shrinking…" This was not good for Ari and she knew it…her mental state was crumbling. The thoughts moved slowly through her mind and she stared at the golden square high in the door. A set of eyes appeared briefly at the opening and searched the cell. They centered on Ari for a moment and then disappeared. She heard a key turn in the door and then watched as it creaked open slowly. Ari crouched back into the wall, she was terrified that it was a guard coming back to torture her.

"Shh---I'm here to help you. Don't be afraid." Ari stared blankly at the man towering over her. Half blinded by the torchlight coming in through the cell door she squinted up at him. He crouched down and held out a hand; Ari flinched away from him. "My name is Eomer…I believe you're innocent." Ari searched his features and found his eyes to be honest and clear. There was no trickery in them and Ari decided that she needed to either place her faith in this Eomer, or end up dying in the cell. She grasped his tunic and pulled herself up so she could look him in the eye.

"Then get me out of here." Her voice was hoarse from her last screaming fit and a lack of water. Eomer quickly moved to unshackle her bruised and bleeding ankles then the manacles about her wrists. A look out in the hall shouted that a guard was coming before Eomer could unlock the first heavy metal cuff. Eomer drew his sword and hastily broke the chain with one swing. He helped Ari and had to half carry her out of the dark dungeon.

"Can you run?"

"Are you nuts? My feet are cut all to hell from those shackles—I can barely walk." Eomer stopped and lifted her quickly and walked faster to keep up with his lookout.

"More guards sir." The man said as he looked out onto a cross hall. "What should we do?"

Eomer thought for a minute before he looked at Ari. "Can you act dead?" Ari nodded her head; her voice didn't seem to want to work. Eomer set her down and pulled a hood over his handsome features. "Ready?" Eomer bent down and lined his shoulder up with Ari's gut, lifting her up and slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Ari dropped her arms down and went limp, her chains scraping quietly on the floor with every step Eomer took.

"Who is that?" Ari's heart froze at the sound of a guard's voice.

"It's just some poor dead idiot." The lookout replied.

"Alright, get 'em out, before they start to smell." Eomer moved quickly past the guard and through a door. Even though Ari's eyes were closed the light still hurt. Eomer threw her roughly across a saddle.

"Sorry." He whispered at her slight grunt. He mounted behind her and walked the horse slowly through the gate and began their move out of sight of the watch towers of the City of Rohan. Slowly Eomer brought his horse into a slow trot.

"Could you not…." Ari grunted again as the saddle rammed into her already battered body.

"It will be another moment before you can sit up." He whispered. "We're almost out of view." They crested a small hill and then dropped into a shallow valley. Eomer dismounted and helped Ari down as well. "Are you alright?"

"NO!" Ari plopped down in the tall grass and grasped her sore stomach. She looked around trying to catch her bearings and catch her breath. She squinted at her surroundings still adjusting to the bright light.

"I know you're tired and sore…but we need to move on. It won't take long for them to discover that you're gone." Eomer helped lift Ari into the saddle behind him where she could wrap her arms around him.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"Just over the next few rises….my camp is there." With the gentle gait of the horse Ari fell asleep with her head against Eomer's shoulder and didn't wake up until she felt the horse start to slow down. Eomer grasped Ari's arm and helped lower her to the ground where she stood on unsteady legs. Eomer dismounted after and gave his horse to another man to take care of. Ari looked around briefly. They were in a deeply shadowed valley with green, grassy hills and a clear stream running through the bottom. Several tents lined the river and the horses were farther downstream. Ari hobbled towards the creek bed but her legs gave out under her. Eomer came to her aid and helped her farther up the creek bed to where a larger tent stood. Eomer spread a blanket beside Ari and then lifted her onto it.

"How long were you imprisoned?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"Hell if I know…where are we anyway?"

"We're still in Rohan…this is my camp." Ari shook her head slowly and sighed. This was just too much for her right now. "We need to get these manacles off of you before we move on." Eomer said reaching for her hand.

"Move on?" Ari instinctively pulled her hand away.

"Aye—we can not stay here. We've been banished." The look on Eomer's face as he looked around was one of contempt. Ari gave him her hand and let him look at the deep, painful cuts on her wrists. "I'm not sure how these are going to come off—but I'm sure it will hurt."

"I have no doubt of it."

"You're not from here, are you?" Eomer picked up a cloth and began to slowly bathe some of the dried blood from her wrists.

"No—Nowhere near here." Ari stared at Eomer—he seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No, Not---YET!" Eomer twisted the manacle on her already horribly scarred wrist. Ari hissed as a new trickle of blood slid down her arm.

"Sorry..." He wiped the new stream off quickly and looked at the lock mechanism and shrugged. "I'm just not sure what to do" Eomer reached out and picked up a hooked tool lying on the blanket. He began to try to jimmy the lock open, each twist of the tool causing her great agony.

"Hey—let me try." Ari wrenched her hand away from Eomer's and ignored the burning wave of pain and nausea that rocked through her. She took several slow, deep breaths before she continued. "I need that too—" Gingerly she took the hook device and managed to figure the mechanism out, but could not pop the lock because the hook was too big. "I need a bobby pin…can you pull one out of my hair?" Eomer leaned forward and untangled one from the ratty tangle that was her once beautiful hair. "One more…" Ari made quick work of the lock on her left wrist. The heavy metal cuff fell heavily from her arm and clanked softly onto the blanket. Ari hissed as the cold air hit her liberated wrist. "Damn, that hurt…"

"How did you do that?" Eomer looked at her, amazed that she'd made such short work of the cuff.

"You learn a lot in prison, especially picking locks." The lock on the other wrist was turned away from her and with as much pain as the left one had caused her; she was hesitant to try to turn it herself. "Would you mind turning the cuff for me?" Ari asked Eomer.

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it…"Ari gritted her teeth as Eomer turned the cuff quickly towards her. She picked it with her left hand and one pin clenched between her teeth, working furiously to get the cuff off; blood trickling down her arm. Eomer helped clean her arms and wrapped her wrists in bandages. "Thank you."

Eomer looked up into Ari's eyes and she brought hers to meet his slowly. Ari could see all the sadness of the world in his eyes. "I'm not sure why you did this…"

"My Uncle has not been himself—ever since that snake came into his council." Ari dropped the subject and licked at her bloodied lip subconsciously. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I'm starving!" Eomer retrieved some food and water for her and watched fascinated as she devoured it.

"Well, you know my name….but if it isn't too much to ask—what is yours?"

"Arianna." Ari wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, not caring how un-lady like it might seem, or how much the motion hurt. "I'm sorry—Arianna Carver…my friends call me Ari." Eomer smiled.

"Then I hope you will permit me to call you Ari."

"I'd like that." Ari sat back and looked at her tattered leather pants….they'd split along the seams a while ago and the black, supple leather was now stained and cracked in places.

"We'll find you some more suitable clothes when we get the chance." Eomer said, following her gaze. A man came up to Eomer and the two men moved away from where Ari lay beside the creek. She dangled her feet in the cool water and let it wash over her injuries. Eomer returned and crouched beside her. "Do you think you can ride?"

"I think I can handle it."

"Good, we retrieved your pack, at least I think it's your pack, and you can wash in the tent just there if you feel like it. But please, hurry." Ari nodded and went to the tent and threw some cold water on her face. She dug through her bag and thought about brushing her hair, but took one look at the tangle her pony trail was in and decided it would take too long. Instead she threw on her hoodie, and her jacket. When she emerged from the tent Eomer was standing outside holding onto her boots. She didn't enjoy putting them on, but knew she needed to in order to ride. Eomer took her bag from her and helped her into the saddle behind him. "We'll secure you a mount of your own as soon as we can." Ari nodded and the whole group of roughly fifty men followed.


	3. Trust

Ari spent the rest of the afternoon clutching Eomer's chest. She wasn't used to riding double, especially not behind someone. That evening when they finally stopped, Ari felt dead on her feet. Eomer helped her to a thick tree where she could sit and rest until a tent was set up. Ari was dozing when Eomer finally came back. He stepped on a twig and Ari's head snapped toward him, eyes filled with fear, shock and hatred.

"It's me, Eomer." He said. "Remember?"

"You saw me….the day I actually got outside….you saw me." Eomer nodded, but nothing more was said on the subject of her captivity.

"The tent is set up." Ari held out her hands like a small child and let Eomer help her up.

She let Eomer half carry her to the tent and set her down on a camp bed. Ari fumbled with her jacket zipper and Eomer helped her with that as well. Ari suddenly felt uneasy, though she didn't know why.

"Could you leave for a minute so I can get changed?"

"Of course." Eomer bowed his head and left the tent.

"_Wow, I wish more guys acted like THAT back home."_ Ari thought as she shrugged out of her big hoodie. She sat in her dirty camisole and bra and began to fumble with the clasps and zipper of her leather pants. Once she got them undone she reached down and untied her boots and shucked her bloody feet out of them. The leather pants came off next and Ari scrounged through her bag to find her clean underwear and sports bra. "Thank God I always pack extras." She thought as she pulled the clean garments on. There was a basin with slightly warmed water and Ari gladly washed the dirt and filth from her body. It wasn't a hot shower, but it was good enough for her. She pulled on her black soccer shorts and her white sports tank and sat at the edge of the bed again to try to get her socks off.

"Ari?"

"Yeah, I'm decent. Come on in." Eomer came into the tent and looked at the blood soaked socks clinging to her feet and new she was in more pain than she was going to let on.

"Can I help you?" Ari nodded feebly and Eomer retrieved the basin and brought it so her feet could soak in it. "We'll rest tomorrow—but something is moving and we must follow it with all haste."

"I understand…I just need to soak my feet and get them bandaged up. I'll be fine."

"You are a brave young woman." Eomer smiled as he cupped water in his hands and let it run down the sides of Ari's legs. They were a little stubbly, despite it being weeks since last seeing a razor. He slowly peeled down the top of her sock to the point where it clung to the wound. "This may hurt." Eomer pulled the sock forcefully, yet carefully over the injured part of her foot and off the rest. He did the same for the other one. Ari felt slightly nauseous but let Eomer continue to wash, medicate and bandage her feet. By the time he'd finished Ari was ready to pass out; whether from pain or exhaustion she wasn't sure.

Eomer left to dump out the dirty water and when he returned, Ari was curled into a tight ball on the cot. He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and shuddered slightly as his fingers brushed against the soft skin of her shoulder. She was an intoxicating creature, even when she had been dirty, beaten and starved in the dungeons he could see a fire in her eyes that drew him to her. Eomer lay on his own cot opposite her and slept, knowing tomorrow would come all too quickly.

When Ari awoke she felt well rested and energized, though a little stiff. Her wrists still pained her but her feet felt much better than they had the day before. Careful not to wake Eomer, she crept from the tent and walked up to the crest of the hill to where she could see the sun rise. The sky turned from a dark blue to light lavender before finally making the sky bright. Ari inhaled the sweet air and thanked the Powers that Be that she was alive and able to breathe the free air once more.

When Eomer found that Ari was gone, he quickly went to follow her. Her barefoot prints left few marks in the dirt, but Eomer was a skilled tracker and he easily managed to find her.

"You shouldn't wander." Eomer reveled in the way she jumped at the sound of his voice. "Some of my men are going to go and find you a horse and some decent riding clothes today. You can wash your clothes and relax while they're gone if you like."

"That would be fantastic." Ari said smiling slightly. "I really wish I could take a bath or something."

"Well, the river is at your disposal. No one will bother you; that I promise." Eomer added when he saw the look on Ari's face.

"Well, as long as you can promise me that much." Ari went down the hill with Eomer close behind. Ari was thankful to have him there too. She fell and Eomer caught her before she even had a chance to catch herself.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes—fine." They were close. _'Too close'_ Ari thought. Eomer was hot but she didn't know if she could trust him completely yet. Eomer helped her back to camp and ordered his men to gather water from the river to boil so Ari could wash some of her clothes and then ordered them to stay away from the river so that Ari could bath. Ari went down to the river with her pack and found a low spot in the bank surrounded by bushes. She undressed and piled her clothes beneath the bushes. She had seen the old movies where people hung their clothes in the trees and someone stole them or some creature ate them. She wasn't about to have that happen to her. Ari walked in to the clear river and found it to be just deep enough if she crouched. The running water caressed her body and felt lovely on Ari's skin. She combed her long hair out and began to untangle it. When she was mostly done she washed her hair two or three times and conditioned it as many if not more. Then she brushed her hair out and rinsed the conditioner from her hair. When she was finished she climbed out and dried off with a shirt. She re-dressed in her board shorts and her hoodie and walked back to the camp.

"Do you feel better?" Eomer asked from his spot beside a fire.

"Yep." Ari put her clothes down and went to where there was some warm water in a pan. She washed out her underwear and her camisole. The shirt she'd been wearing for the past several weeks was destroyed and her leather pants were beyond cleaning. When she was done, she laid her undergarments out on the edge of her cot to dry. She went back outside and sat near the fire while lunch cooked.

"You shouldn't do that." Ari looked up to wear Eomer sat staring at the fire.

"Do what?" Ari knew full well that Eomer was referring to her picking at her bandages but wanted to goad him. She'd gone several weeks without being able to push any buttons.

"Your bandages; you shouldn't pick at them you know." Ari picked a little more and sighed. "You're very stubborn."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." The rough linen had constricted around her wrist and was beginning to chafe. She began to itch lightly at the edges of the bandages. "It's just itchy, is all."

"Let me see." Eomer reached for her hand and Ari slowly gave it to him. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"What?" The question shocked Ari. She didn't quite trust Eomer, she'd learned not to trust people, but people never read her like that before.

"You don't trust me."

"I do too…"

"No you don't—you barely told me your name yesterday, you were hesitant whenever I come near you…and still are."

"Well, I've known you for a total of what…..eighteen hours? Am I supposed to be instantly trusting?"

"No." Eomer grinned slightly as he unwrapped Ari's wrists. "I wouldn't trust anyone if I were you. Especially after what my uncle did to you." He touched a rough spot on her wrist and stopped when Ari flinched. "Sorry---didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's not that…it's just that I didn't expect you to be so…gentle." It was true, Eomer's touch felt like a butterfly's upon her hand. Eomer looked into her eyes and smiled the hidden smile again before re-bandaging her wrist. Ari smiled too.

"Tell me about yourself. Where you're from, what it's like…." Ari began telling Eomer about her life in her world—the other world. She tried to explain soccer to him but found it hard without a ball. He enjoyed hearing stories of her mother and her mother's people. "So you know horses then?"

"I guess you could say that. It's in my blood. I've been around horses since I could walk."

"Then we have something in common. For I too have been around horses since I could walk. My mother, may she rest in peace, used to joke that she was lucky I wasn't born upon a horse." Ari smiled. She and Eomer told stories into the late afternoon until his men brought back a horse and a bundle of clothing. Ari went into the tent and put the articles on. They mostly consisted of soft leather leggings, a tunic that was a size too big and a vest and coat. They had also found a pair of tall boots for Ari to wear as well.

Ari dug through her back pack that night and found the choker her mother had made for her when she'd turned thirteen. She loved the bone and onyx necklace more than anything in the world. A symbol of her Indian heritage, she'd worn it for nearly a year constantly. But people had always taunted her for it and she'd succumbed to the pressure and stopped wearing it when she was fourteen. She always carried it with her though in a special leather pouch her grandfather had helped her tool. Ari also carried a feather in the pouch. It was an eagle's feather, something very few people could posses. Ari brushed her fingertips lightly over the feather and then put it back in the pouch. She put the necklace on and went back outside to sit around the fire with Eomer and his men. They were deep in serious conversation when she emerged and she opted to climb the hill again instead.

"We move out tomorrow." Eomer said from behind her. Ari turned to face him. "Do you think you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, sure." Ari smiled at him. "I'm ready to get moving."

"You should get ready then—we leave before dawn tomorrow." The men broke down camp and were going to leave a tent up for Ari, but she refused.

"I'd love to sleep out under the stars tonight. Don't even think about treating me special or anything." Ari actually tried to help the men take down the tent, but they were so practiced that she merely served to get in the way. She threw down her bed roll and curled beneath the blanket and watched the flames slowly flicker down. Eomer lay on the other side of the flames and stared at her until her eyes fluttered shut.

"Good Night, Ari—Sleep well."

Author's Note: Sorry for the length on this chapter. I hope you're all enjoying this story and would really appreciate your reviews.

Thanks!


	4. Orcs, Hobits and a Friend

The next morning they ate a light quick breakfast and got ready to ride quickly. Ari had discarded her knapsack and had packed everything into a saddlebag. Eomer helped her lash it and her bedroll to her saddle and then helped her into the saddle. Her horse was white with dappled gray and brown markings. She settled comfortably into the big war saddle and fell in line behind Eomer. When the group began to move, she set out with them, leaving her old life behind her. They were tracking something, of that Ari was sure. The men of Rohan had eye sight that was incredible. Then she too picked up on the wide swatch of land that had been carved up.

"They've moved farther off…we'll catch up to them in the branches of Fanghorn."

"Who?" Ari asked the man beside her.

"Orcs." He answered.

"Aye….nasty creatures." Another added looking hard at the path before them. Ari caught up to Eomer and tried to press him for information, but he would give her nothing.

"Ari, I want you to stay near the rear of the column…do not engage in whatever lay ahead. Do you understand me?"

"Sort of. I'm not strong enough to fight right now…nor am I skilled enough. So I'll stay back. But only for now."

"That's all I can ask of you." Eomer and Ari rode at the head of the column throughout the day until they began to see shapes moving on the horizon.

"Get to the rear." Eomer growled out. Ari was slow to move and continued to stare at the blur moving across the horizon. "Arianna…" Ari moved to the rear—this wasn't her fight…

It was evening before the horsemen could attack the goblin horde. Ari was remaining near the edge of battle when she was suddenly yanked violently from her horse. She looked into the ugly yellow eyes of an orc for the first time. She was terrified; so scared she couldn't even scream. The orc raised a hooked blade and brought it crashing towards Arianna's head. Ari rolled left as the blade sliced through the grass at her shoulder. She brought her boot up between the creature's legs and hoped it had balls. As the creature pitched sideways Ari leapt up and grasped a spear form near by and killed the demon before her. She wrenched the spear out of the body and raced to where a young man was getting pummeled by two orcs.

"Lady Arianna?"

"I'm no lady!" Ari said spearing one of the orcs. Ari was already picking up the big blade that one of the dead orcs had dropped. She moved farther toward the edge of battle when she suddenly tripped over an orc. When she pushed herself up she was looking into two pairs of scared eyes.

"It's a woman!" One of the tiny people said.

"It's a trick!" The other cried out, scooting backwards.

"You're hobbits!" Arianna couldn't contain her shock at seeing the two Halflings.

"She's heard of us Merry…"

"Go! Get into the woods! Hurry!" Ari could hear a horse coming up behind her. She crawled in a direction opposite that of the hobbits and continued fighting on the outskirts of the battle. The band of Rohirrim lost few of their men and did not stop until every last orc was dead. Ari helped the others drag bodies together to burn them. Other men lay their comrades out under burial mounds.

"You don't have to do this." Eomer said as he helped her drag an overly large orc to where the others were already being torched.

"Yes I do…" She looked over to where the mounds for the dead Rohirrim were being finished. "You all helped me get back on my feet the last few days. You didn't have to break me out of jail." Eomer nodded silently. They left the battlefield after dawn and started galloping in the opposite direction. It was afternoon when something odd occurred.

"What news, riders of the mark?" The men of the cavalry seemed to turn their horses on a dime, but it took Ari a moment to wheel her mount. She decided to stay outside the tight circle made by the Rohirrim and watch the proceedings. She could barely hear what Eomer said. Eventually, the three men they were surrounding were given horses and they galloped off towards where they had battled early that morning. Ari looked over her shoulder knowing that the three men were part of the famous Fellowship and that the adventure they were on was a great one.

In the next week Ari was shown much of Rohan. In the evenings Eomer taught her about geography, botany, wildlife, and the history of Rohan. Ari absorbed everything like a sponge. She observed villages that had been completely destroyed by the orcs and other invaders. It saddened Ari to see the decimation.

Eomer began to become gloomy and distant with each passing day and Ari began to worry about him. He distanced himself from everyone, Ari included. Finally one night, after she'd been practicing sword fighting with one of the men, she decided she couldn't take it anymore and went to the fire where Eomer sat alone. His long legs were kicked out lazily in front of him and he stared morosely into the flames before him. Ari plopped down opposite him and stared in to the flames.

"I need peace." Eomer said quietly.

"Oh, you'll get your peace, but I stay."

"Ari…"  
"Shhh…!" Ari silenced him as she sat and looked at him through the flames. Eomer stared back. He'd acquired a scar during the big orc battle that made him look sexy as hell. Ari wanted to jump him then and there, but restrained herself. "My mother's people tell a story about how horses came to us. Would you care to hear it?"

"Maybe someday."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

"Fine, be that way." Ari and Eomer continued to stare at one another for sometime before Ari got bored with the silence and made a very slight move to get up.

"Everything I believe in is destroyed." Eomer said suddenly. "Just before I left, my cousin was near death." Ari sat back down and stared blankly at Eomer. "It would have taken an absolute act of a higher power to have saved him."

"So you think he's…?"

"I know he's…" Eomer spat out the comment but couldn't finish it. "My uncle didn't even care."

"It was his son though…"

"He didn't care!" Eomer's green-gold eyes flashed dangerously. "And then he banished me." Ari sat still as Eomer spoke. His words washed over her and she felt every sorrow in the world. Eventually he stopped speaking and Ari got up to sit closer to him. She took a moment to find the words she wanted to use.

"It all happens for a reason." Eomer looked at her like she'd gone mad. "I mean, I was obviously MEANT to crash my motorcycle and end up here in middle earth. I was meant to sit for God only knows how long in prison…thought my mother doesn't believe it, I was meant to streak my hair purple."

"You truly believe that?" Eomer turned to look at her for the first time.

"No….the other saying in my world is 'Shit happens' but the other one is more poetic." She smiled up at him as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face. Eomer leaned closer to her, as if intending to kiss her when a man on horseback suddenly appeared beside the fire.

"Eomer, third marshal of the mark, you have been summoned to the deep."

"Reveal yourself old man!" Eomer rose and drew his sword as he stepped in front of Ari. The old man dismounted and stepped into the light of the fire and threw the hood of his cloak back.

"Gandalf!"

"Your uncle has seen the light and is in serious need of your help at Helm's Deep." Eomer hesitated a moment before moving off into the darkness with the old man. Ari sat back and watched….she'd been so close, and yet so far. When Eomer returned he was resolved to go to Helms Deep. After he spoke to his men, he came and spoke with Ari privately.

"You stay here until…"

"No way…there's not chance I'm staying here by myself."

"Arianna—"

"Don't you even try to talk me into it either….You've seen me fight before. I'm going; even if you try to leave me behind, you know I'll follow you."

"Alright then—suit yourself." Eomer grinned slightly, Ari's stubbornness was something that was so attractive about her. "But we must find you some armor. You can't go into battle without some protection." Eomer brought her the armor of one of the fallen soldiers and helped her get it adjusted slightly so it fit her better. When they were done, she was indistinguishable from any of the other soldiers.

"Who is this woman, Eomer?" Gandalf asked as Arianna swung easily into the saddle.

"Her name, is Arianna Carver." Eomer handed Ari a spear and moved to mount his own horse. "She was falsely imprisoned and I helped her escape."

"Where are you from child?" Gandalf asked.

"Prestonville, Missouri."

"I do not know that place."

"You wouldn't," Ari replied moving her horse into place, "it isn't in Middle Earth." The riders moved out quickly with Gandalf and Eomer at the lead. Arianna dropped back slightly and admired Eomer's fine figure.

"Yeah—you know you want him." Ari thought sadly, "but you're on a 'look but don't touch' diet. You can't have him and you know it!"

That thought served to depress Ari for Eomer was a decent guy. It was just her luck that he had to live in an alternative world.

"We must hurry!" She heard Gandalf shout. "They will almost be out of time!"


	5. Helm's Deep and the aftermath

The dawn was just breaking when the riders crested a rocky rise. The valley below heaved and churned with the mass of orcs below. Ari felt fear settle in the pit of her stomach. There were too many of them. She looked up to see that Eomer had found his way next to her.

"Fear not—we shall take the day."

"I know." Ari did know. Eomer and Gandalf started down the mountain at full speed, the rest of the riders following.

The fighting was intense and there were several moments when Ari feared for her life, but she always managed to come out OK. Once she was knocked from her horse and was nearly trampled by the orcs surrounding her. She head-butted the orc that tried to pick her up by the edges of her armor and kicked the one behind her. She grasped her horse's saddle and re-mounted. It was many hours before all the orcs were defeated or sent running. The Rohirrim had lost many men but victory was indeed theirs. Once inside the deep they found Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. Gandalf and Théoden, King of Rohan, spoke with each other while Eomer sought out his sister. Ari looked at the man Gandalf was talking to. This was not the same King that had imprisoned her. This man was vivacious, a rosy pink color burned in his face and he was well kept. Who was the sickly imposter who had imprisoned her? Was that really the Théoden that didn't care whether his son lived or died? Ari decided to try to keep these thoughts from her mind and began to loosen her horse's saddle.

"Eowyn, I'd like you to meet Ari Carver." Ari turned abruptly and stared into the bright eyes of Eomer's sister.

"Glad to meet you." Ari pulled her helmet off and let her dark hair fall over her shoulders.

"Back at'cha"

"But, you're a woman!"

"Yes ma'am." Ari heaved a great sigh as she pulled at her armor. It was still a little ill fitting and was starting to chafe.

"Come with me—we'll find you something more suitable." Eowyn grasped Ari's hand and drug her to a small room within the fortress. Eowyn helped her dress in an actual gown and another woman combed and braided Ari's hair. Ari felt suddenly very girly and out of place.

"I don't like this either, but it's expected." Eowyn said when she saw Ari's slight look of distaste.

"It's just that I don't usually wear dresses." Ari and Eowyn could not find the men and spent time ministering to the sick and wounded refugees that had fought within the keep. Eventually word came that they would all return to the Golden Hall at Rohan. While everyone prepared to make the long march back to the great city, Ari went to walk upon the great wall. Thought it had been destroyed in places, she could still tell that this wall had been immense.

"Ari!" Eomer charged up the stairs and looked upon her with wonder. "You look…I mean—"

"I know, I look like a girl." Ari said leaning on the battlement. She flicked the loose pieces of pebbles off the wall and stared out onto the battlefield.

"I was hoping you'd be returning to Rohan with us." Ari saw the look on Eomer's face and realized he was fishing to make conversation.

"Yeah—I mean, I don't have anywhere else to go." _Besides, you'll be there._ She thought, but didn't say the last out loud.

"Eowyn will be happy—she doesn't often get any female companions."

"OK—"

"OK?" Eomer echoed, not fully understanding the slang. He escorted Ari around the mighty fortress and to the room she was to share with Eowyn.

Ari pulled out her board shorts and stared morosely at the holes in them.

"I could fix those." Eowyn said as Ari poked her finger through a large hole in the ass of the shorts. Ari looked up and found Eowyn staring at her. "I can mend them if you like."

"Really?" Ari watched as Eowyn patched her shorts together and could barely tell where the stitches had been made.

"Wow—you're really talented with that needle."

"You don't know how to sew?"

"Not really—I mean, I _can_ sew, I'm just not this good." Ari put on a tank top and her newly patched shorts and quickly fell asleep on the big fur blanket spread on the floor.

The next morning Eowyn and Ari dressed and packed their meager things away. They met in the great hall.

"I know your face…do I not?" Ari turned to look into the face of an elder man. His eyes seemed familiar, but Ari couldn't place him. She looked again and realized who she was speaking to. Eomer was standing just behind the man and his gaze became shadowed.

"You were brought before me…weeks ago. I thought it a dream." Ari didn't respond to King Théoden, she didn't know how. This was the man who had sent her to prison.

"This is Arianna, Uncle. She is a friend of Eomer's." Eowyn didn't know everything about how Ari and Eomer had met, nothing of the imprisonment.

"She's been traveling with me, ever since her—escape—from prison." Eomer waited for everyone's reactions to this.

"Yes—I do remember you now. I beg your forgiveness, lady. I was not in possession of myself at the time of your arrival." The King looked sadly into her eyes and in his eyes she could see that he was truly sorry.

"I understand." The king nodded and moved on through the thronging crowd of refugees prepared to leave Helm's Deep. Upon their departure, Eomer and Théoden rode at the head of the column, followed by Eowyn, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Ari chose to stay back, near to where the men of Eomer's company rode; men she'd been riding with for weeks now. Eomer dropped back briefly to speak with Ari. "There is to be a great banquet tomorrow evening. You will attend won't you?"

"Will you be there?" Ari didn't take her gaze from Eomer's face.

"Aye."

"Then I'll go."

"And if I had said I wasn't?" Eomer's mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile.

"I'd probably have said 'Good, because I didn't want to see you there anyway.'" Ari arched an eyebrow and Eomer laughed, something Ari had never seen him do.

"You are a very confusing woman, Arianna." Eomer moved his horse away before Ari could respond. It was late evening when they returned to the Golden Hall. Eomer disappeared with the men and Eowyn and Ari helped get some of the wounded situated before they too retired. Ari lay down and slept a few hours before she was awake and feeling restless. Ari quietly slipped from the room and wandered the halls aimlessly. She gazed at the big tapestries and wood carvings. She was still wandering the halls when Eomer found her.

"Are you lost?"

"No. I just couldn't sleep." Eomer gazed at Ari and took in her looks. Her legs were long and muscular. Her bare feet padded silently on the smooth, cool stones of the hall. Her ankles still bore marks from the metal shackles that had bound her during her stay in jail. The long shorts clung low to her hips and her white tank top elongated her slim torso. Ari's dark hair was bound in a high, tight ponytail; the ends of it just brushing past her shoulders. She was by far the most stunning and strong woman he'd ever met. "Eomer?" He came out of his brief reverie and shook his head.

"What?"

"Are you alright? You had this funny look on your face…"

"Yes, fine….weary from the night's watch." Eomer walked past her and into his own room. What was it about this girl that un-nerved him so? He undressed and lay upon his bed, instantly falling into a deep and blissful sleep.


	6. At the Golden Hall

When Eomer awoke the next day he felt irritable and tired. Eowyn tried to speak to him but he was so moody she eventually gave up. Eomer stood outside the hall and gazed at the city around him. He sighed. He was irritable because he'd dreamed of Ari the night before. He was falling for a woman who was strong and independent, but not of his world. To her, his world was a fantasy, a place of make believe—he couldn't keep her. Children's laughter rang out and he looked below to where Arianna was playing a game with the young ones.

"I don't know if I can….let's see!" Arianna was suddenly swinging one of the children about her. She set the child down and looked up to where Eomer was staring down at her. The children ran off and Ari climbed up the stairs to where Eomer stood.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Aye…just a moment ago."

"Ready for the big banquet tonight?" Ari said with a smirk upon her face.

"I never am." Eomer turned his back on Ari and strolled inside. Ari's brow furrowed for a moment and then she took off after him.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" She called after him.

"Pardon me?" Eomer turned to face her.

"You heard me…what's wrong with you today? Holy crap, I mean, you've been up only a little while and you're cranky as fuck!"

"I'm allowed to be as cranky as I like." Eomer seethed. Ari sighed heavily.

"Is it something I did?" Eomer stared stonily at her. "Fine, be that way. Don't tell me what's wrong." Ari went off in a different direction than Eomer had been headed in.

Eomer eventually ended up outside at his cousin's grave and stared blankly at the flower covered mound. Theodred had always been better with women. Eomer didn't know how to react around Ari. On one hand he wanted her desperately. Her beauty, attitude and drive made her attractive to him. On the other, she was so stubborn and, coupled with being from another world, she was so distant that he was sure it would never work between them. When Eomer finally wandered back towards the walled city, Ari was stomping out. She was dressed in her shorts and hooded sweatshirt and had a look of pure anger on her face.

"Ari?" someone was calling out to her from inside the city.

"Fuck off!" Ari yelled back over her shoulder. "I told you to back off and I meant it." Eomer and Ari nearly collided.

"Sorry." Eomer said as Ari pushed away from him.

"Whatever."

"What's wrong? You seemed happy this morning."

"I got around you, that's what. Your cranky-ness rubbed off on me."

"I'm sorry, I'm not exactly a 'morning person' when I'm here." Ari looked back inside the gate and sighed.

"It's OK. I'm just tired of them pawing all over me. Eowyn had them chase me down. I think I just need to do something physical."

"Like what?"

_Like jump you, right here, right now._ The thought raced across Ari's mind like wildfire.

Eomer smiled as Ari began bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I dunno, run, play soccer, lift weights….."

"Soccer….that's the game with the ball and the nets, right?" Eomer recalled one of their first conversations when she'd tried to explain it to him. Ari grinned and ran to where the children were still playing outside. She secured a ball from them and though it was slightly larger than regulation, she knew it would serve its purpose. She briefly went over the rules and basic concepts of the game with Eomer. He was a fast learner, but was still no match for Ari.

"You're far too quick." Eomer chided after Ari booted the ball into the barrel that was her goal and sent both spinning wildly.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" Ari ran a victory lap and danced about Eomer while he grinned.

"This is a foolish game! I do not understand its purpose!" He placed the ball on the ground and kicked and dribbled it towards Ari's side of the 'field'. His goal consisted of a few large crates they'd pushed together. Ari stole the ball and began running towards the barrel. Eomer gave chase and caught her around the middle. "Not so fast!" He laughed as she struggled to get out of his grasp. "It's my turn to score."

_You could do it in more ways than one, Eomer. _Ari thought as he whipped her around. Thunder cracked overhead and rain began to pelt down onto everyone standing outside sending them running for shelter. Ari and Eomer ran into the stables as the rain started coming down in heavy sheets.

"What exactly IS the purpose of soccer?" Eomer asked as he shook water from his long hair.

"Purpose? There isn't one really—it's just a way to have fun." Ari was still a raging ball of energy and climbed up to one of the rafters. She started doing pull ups while Eomer watched. "I mean, in my world, recreation is really important, but we're lazy. Your people probably do more work in a day than mine do in a week." Ari pulled herself up and swung a leg over the rafter where she'd been hanging from.

"Is your world really that different from ours?" Eomer asked as he watched her swing her feet on the rafters.

"Oh, yeah…no doubt." The rain began to ease up and Eomer and Ari went back into the golden hall to prepare for the evenings' festivities.

Ari bathed and then got out and brushed her hair. Eowyn had laid out a dark blue dress for Ari to wear. Someone came in and offered to arrange Ari's hair, but Ari declined, choosing instead to wear it straight. Eowyn and Ari marched down to the great hall together. When they entered, Ari couldn't believe the amount of food that had been accumulated. There were entire pigs and goats were laid out for the feast. Fruits and vegetables and rich stews also adorned the tables. Ari and Eomer were seated opposite one another during the banquet. Mead, Ale and wine were served up and Ari knew the night was going to be boisterous and wild. Two hobbits were present and they were introduced to Ari as Merry and Pippin. The heat of battle had been too great. They were fun and Ari decided that she liked them. She was pretty sure they were the same two she had met up with at the Battle at the Ford, but couldn't be positive, and they never brought it up. The heat and stress of battle had been to great, and the stretch of time between the two meetings was also a factor in the fuzziness of the memory.

Ari sat off to the side and was 'people watching' when she saw Eowyn offer a cup of wine to Aragorn and they drank. Ari knew Eowyn had fallen for Aragorn; who wouldn't? He was handsome and brave and smart…_"Just like Eomer." _Ari banished the thought from her mind and paid attention to other people in the hall. She was watching Merry and Pippin sing and dance when she felt someone's eyes upon her. She turned to see Eomer staring intently at her. She raised her mug of ale (one she'd stolen from one of the men) and toasted Eomer.

"Lady Ari! Come drink with Merry and I!" Pippin shouted from where he was standing on the end of a table.

"That's not exactly a lady like activity Master Pippin."

"Please?"

"We want to see who can drink ale quicker…a woman or a hobbit." A man said, laughing.

"And you said earlier you like to drink ale quite a bit."

"Oh alright!" Ari got up from her seat and eagerly went to where Merry and Pippin were now standing on their chairs, the table seeming a bit rude.

"So how many have you had?" Ari asked when she reached them.

"I've had three…Merry's had two."

"And a glass of wine!" Merry countered.

"OK, because I've had three wines, mead and I've got a half an ale left." Ari chugged the rest of the ale and called for another loudly. She was shocked when Eomer handed her a full mug.

"Do us proud, Arianna." Ari grinned when he winked at her.

"Alright." Hama said as Merry and Pippin's mugs were topped off. "you'll all start with your mugs on the table. You'll bring them up, back to the table, and up a second time. Back to the table and then drink. Is everyone clear?" Merry and Ari nodded but Pippin asked for a demonstration. Two of the men obliged and once Pippin was satisfied, they began.

"One, Two, Three!" Ari brought the mug to her lips and downed the beer as quickly as she could. When she was finished, she slammed the mug down on the table and raised her arms in victory. Merry and Pippin finished a few seconds later as everyone applauded Ari.

"Woo-Hoo-Hoo!" Ari shouted. "Beer Bonging Champ of Prestonville in the house!" Ari bowed. "Now the Ale Guzzling Champ of Rohan." Several men came forward and a boat race as established along with other various drinking games. Ari used a belching contest as her signal to leave the hall. She strolled outside and gazed up at the stars, despite some unsteadiness on her feet. She looked up into the velvety sky at the pin prick lights twinkling back at her. She hadn't seen so many stars since she had last been on her grandfather's ranch in Oklahoma. Aragorn and Legolas were talking off to her left so she decided to go to the right. She was still gazing at the amazing sky when someone placed a cloak over her shoulders.


	7. Always Darkest Before Dawn

Ari spun quickly, shocked that anyone had come out after her. Eomer's eyes shimmered in the moonlight as he fastened the cloak at Ari's throat.

"Do all women in your world drink like you?"

"Hell no…but I'm a sucker for drinking games and boat races." Eomer's hand drifted along her collar bone and up over her shoulder. "I didn't embarrass you…did I?"

"No." Ari felt light headed and wondered if the ale was finally taking hold of her or if it was just because Eomer was standing so close to her. "I could never be embarrassed by you." He said as his hand strayed up to the back of her neck.

"Eomer…"His fingers traced lightly over her lips and she grew quiet. She had to close her eyes to keep from jumping him right then and there. She calmed herself slightly and opened her eyes to gaze into his, which she could hardly make out in the dark shadows crossing his handsome face. A wayward strand of sun bleached hair dropped into his face and Ari carefully reached up to push it away; her fingers lightly brushing against his cheek. The contact seemed to break Eomer's resolve and he suddenly grasped her arms and spun her so that she was pinned to the wall behind them. Eomer stepped closer to her and brought his mouth down to hers. She was surprised how gentle he was and how soft his lips were. She moaned as he pulled her closer to him, she draped her arms across his broad shoulders and pulled him closer. Ari could feel the sexual tension build, explode and release as his hands ran up her back. She wanted him…had wanted him since the day she had first seen him on escaping the prison.

They were still kissing when there was suddenly a cry from inside. They separated quickly and looked at the door of the hall. Ari and Eomer moved towards the door, sprinting up the halls to where there was a commotion outside one of the bed chambers.

Gandalf was towering over a very tiny and shocked Pippin. "How could you? He knows we're here now! You foolish Hobbit!"

"What's going on?" Someone asked.

"He looked into the Palantir." Ari went and sat beside Pip, who looked shaken.

"Are you OK?" Pip stared blankly at Ari for a moment and nodded slowly.

"I don't know what came over me…it was calling to me…."

Gandalf and Aragorn began discussing the occurrence and what needed to be done. Eventually it was decided that Gandalf would take Pippin to Gondor. It would be a week before they heard from Gandalf and Pippin again.

Eomer and Ari were separated throughout the week, but not by choice. Ari was busy tending wounded or helping Eowyn. Eomer was on Patrol. It was surprising to Ari one night when she was roused from her sleep. Shouts echoed through the hall and heavy footsteps pounded past. Ari was up and sprinting down the hall following the men who had just run past. When she got outside her gaze was instantly drawn to the mountain tops where fires blazed as signals. Eomer stood to one side in a light shirt, trousers and boots. He was always ready Ari noted with a sad smile. She was standing in a tank top and her shorts barefoot, her hair pulled out of her braid.

"Eomer, what's going on?" Ari asked as she drew close to him.

"Aren't your feet cold?"

"No; just answer my question smart ass." Eomer grinned but didn't really look at her.

"Signal Fires; Gondor is in need."

"How long does it take to light all those fires?"

"A little more than an hour." Eomer continued to stare at the fires glowing atop the mountains. "There will be a battle." Pandemonium ensued as the word went around the city and people saw the signal fires for themselves. A council was held, of which Ari and Eowyn were not privy to. Ari sat outside though and knew that the Rohirrim would soon be moving.

A camp was established from which a base of operation could be set up. Men and boys from all over Rohan congregated there for outfitting and mustering. Eomer ran himself ragged trying to deal with it all and though Ari tried to help, it was in vain.

"So when do we leave?" She asked one night as she came up to his fire and plopped down next to him.

"'_We_' don't. You and Eowyn are going back to Rohan."

"Like Hell I am…."

"Don't fight with me Ari. I haven't the strength for it." Eomer sighed. His eyes were closed and he shook his head slightly.

"Alright, so don't fight me. I'm going."

"You can't!" Eomer's face was drawn, but his eyes seemed to glow with a dull hatred. "Who will care for Eowyn?"

"'Wyn will do just dandy. She's a strong girl." Ari made a move to get up but Eomer stopped her.

"Ari….please. I need you to promise me you'll take her back…that you'll protect her."

"Eomer…"

"Promise me Arianna!" Eomer grasped her hands tightly and stared deeply into her eyes. He shook her slightly. "Promise!"

"I promise." The gaze in his eyes compelled her to say it, even though she really didn't want to. Eomer kissed her fiercely but broke it before it could go any farther.

"Go—you have to get ready to leave." Eomer rose and went into his tent leaving Ari sitting beside the fire.


	8. Broken

"You do what you like, I'm going with them."

"'Wyn, you can't. I promised your brother."

"I'll not be left behind. I'm a shield maiden of Rohan."

"And I'm a soccer playing, beer guzzling descendant of a Cherokee Warrior. I still promised your brother that I would take you back to the city."

"I know, and I'm sorry you have to go against your word—"

"I'm not…I'm going with you." Ari shook her head at the stupidity of her own idea, but she had always intended to ride with Eowyn back to Rohan and then quickly ride back towards Gondor, hoping to catch the battle.

"As am I!" Merry came into the tent where Eowyn and Ari were conversing. "They want me to go back with you, but I can fight!"

"Alright then." The trio made plans, for the next day they were going into battle.

Ari and Eowyn had to braid their hair back, smudge their faces and hands and secure their armor. Before dawn the next day they assembled with the rest of the army.

"Good luck!" Eowyn moved off to one regiment while Ari drifted into another, but stayed within sight of Eowyn. Merry sat in front of Eowyn, hidden by her cloak. With a single horn blast the whole of the Rohirrim advanced towards Gondor.

It took only a few hours easy ride to reach the fields outside the great city. They crested a rise and looked down onto a field black with orcs. Great war towers stood close to the white walled city and giant trolls and Oliphant's stomped across the battlefield. Ari and Eowyn stared out at the bedlam and then looked to each other. They were here by their own choice and now had to go through with their mission.

"For Rohan!" King Théoden galloped in front of his men and called them to attention and to arms. Ari drew her sword and thrust it high into the air, screaming at the top of her lungs. There seemed to be a brief pause before the charge began; as if the entire army had taken a deep breath as one.

The surge happened instantly and with such force that when the army hit the first line of orcs, they plowed through like a hot knife through butter.

Ari kept Eowyn within sight, trying to fight her way closer to the other woman. Oliphant's stomped about the Rohan Cavalry carelessly crushing horses and riders, paying little heed to anything happening around their enormous legs. Ari stabbed at the attacking orcs with the greatest anger and ferociousness she ever could have mustered against another being. In Ari's attempts to stay alive she lost track of Eowyn and Merry. She looked around frantically, fearing they'd been crushed by a passing Oliphant. In her search she saw Eomer to her left. She decided if she couldn't fight close to Eowyn and help her then at least she could get closer to Eomer; besides, Eowyn had Merry to help her. Ari took a swing at an orc barreling towards Eomer and had to veer off her intended course.

She looked around and saw Eowyn again. Eowyn was fighting fiercely not paying any attention to the gigantic Oliphant charging toward her. Ari galloped towards where the other woman fought and managed to catch her attention. Eowyn leapt her horse over her attackers and ran in the opposite direction of Ari.

Ari was suddenly thankful for her mothers teaching of trick riding because she suddenly found herself surrounded on all sides, chased by the goblins. She swung out of the saddle and kicked one of the orcs around her, using the momentum from the kick she swung back up over the saddle and kicked another of the offending orcs before swinging back into the saddle backwards. She drew her bow and began firing arrows at orcs chasing her down. When her supply of arrows was exhausted she switched in the saddle and began looking for her friends again. She was thankful for the agility of the horse because it took very little for her to guide it where she wanted it. Suddenly she saw Eomer, the gold of his helmet glinting in the pale sunlight that fought its way through the smoke and din of the battle. An orc ran at Eomer's horse and stabbed his spear upwards into the horse. The animal reared, twisted and cried out in pain, flinging Eomer to the ground. Ari leapt her horse over the dead that separated her from where Eomer lay sprawled upon the ground. She beheaded the orc before it could kill Eomer.

"Come on!" Ari reached down and helped lift Eomer into the saddle behind her.

"I need a new mount!" Eomer paid no attention to the soldier before him and for that Ari was thankful. She saw a horse galloping across her path and made a move to intercept it. Eomer leapt form the back of her horse onto the rider-less horse. That's when Ari saw the nazgul descending onto the filed. Eomer saw it as well and they both galloped to where the hideous creature was preparing to land. Ari saw Eowyn coming at it from the opposite direction. The tail of the dragon like creature whipped out and knocked Eomer and Ari from their horses simultaneously. Ari sat up and shook her head. Her helmet had flown off when she had hit the ground. Eomer was laying a few feet away from her, he too was trying to clear his head. She pushed herself up and had to duck again as the tail of the Nazgul narrowly missed it. She crawled over to Eomer and helped him get up.

"Ari?"

"Come on!" Ari and Eomer staggered behind the body of a dead Oliphant and out of the din of battle. "We've got to go help 'Wyn!" Ari said picking up a quiver of arrows and a large bow. Eomer grabbed her arm and spun her to face him.

"Eowyn? She's here?"

"Yes. That's her." Ari had rounded the carcass and was now looking to where a lone soldier stood fighting the nazgul.

"What?" Ari pushed Eomer down as an Easterling tried to run up and attack them. Ari killed their assailant and then quickly explained to Eomer what had happened. Ari went to pick up a large blade and continued to kill orcs. Eomer and Ari fought side by side, working their way back to where Eowyn was fighting the nazgul alone. They were just getting close when they heard the witch king speak.

"No man can defeat me!" He cackled evilly as Eowyn threw her helmet aside.

"I AM NO MAN!" Eowyn yelled as she slammed her sword into the heart of the witch king. Eomer saw the air ripple as the Witch king's chest imploded. He reached for Ari and tried to pull her down.

"'WYN!" The blast knocked everyone around them to the ground. Eomer and Ari landed with a tremendous thud six or seven feet from where they'd been fighting. Ari's head hit the ground and she saw stars, but the pain in her head was less intense than the pain running up and down her arm. Her arm was pinned underneath her in an uncomfortable angle and it was held there beneath her weight and that of someone lying on top of her. She kicked and pushed and finally got partially rolled over and looked up into Eomer's face. He pushed himself up over her and looked down into her dirt streaked face.

"Are you OK?" Ari didn't respond. Her eyes grew wide with anger and fear as she saw the Orc bob into view behind Eomer's head, arms raised to deal a death blow to the two humans lying on the ground. Despite the pain in her arm, she grasped her sword tightly and pushed Eomer off her with her opposite arm.

"Move!" Eomer pitched over on his back as Ari swung up into the orc and drove the blade deep into the goblin body. She saw the blood streaking down her arm and the disfigured curvature of her fingers, hand and arm. The black tarry blood of the orc she had killed coated the top of her hand and her fingers and mixed with her own blood. She released the blade and staggered back onto her heels, and grasped her arm close to her body trying to support it. She looked over to where Eomer lay on his side staring at her.

"Ari?" Ari closed her eyes and tried to fight the wave of nausea that washed over her. The pain was so intense she was seeing stars. Eomer crouched beside her and reached out to touch her. "Ari, are you OK?"

"Leave me….go check on 'Wyn." Ari stared into Eomer's hazel eyes and saw the concern in them. She looked over to where the body of the dragon and the witch king lay on the ground, Eowyn's body lay before the witch king, strands of her long blonde hair blowing in the gentle breeze wafting across the battlefield. "Go help your sister, Eomer. She needs you more than I do. GO!" Eomer paused before he left Ari's side and went to help Eowyn.


	9. More Painful than you'll ever know

Ari sat back and flopped against the body of the dead soldiers around her. The battle was coming to an end and she relaxed against the bodies of the dead. She looked up into the sky where the sun was working its way through the grit, smoke and filth that had accumulated during the battle. A figure slowly came into her field of view.

"You are a brave young woman." Gandalf crouched before her and reached out to touch her face with his weathered hand. A small stream of blood smeared the side of her face and he was unsure whether it was hers or someone else's. "We'll get you into the city and have someone help you." Ari grinned slightly.

"Thanks Gandalf….that'd be…fantastic…" Ari closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

When Arianna woke up she did not remember much of the battle, nor could she remember what had brought her to the room she now found herself in. Her arm was heavily bandaged and she was still dressed in the tunic and trousers she had worn beneath her armor, which was now gone. She rose from her spot on a low bed and wandered into a hall choked with the injured and dieing. They lay on both sides of the narrow hall and all seemed to be moaning in agony. Ari staggered up the hall and stopped the first person she saw.

"Where's the Lady Eowyn?" The man she spoke to looked at her with tired eyes. "Where is she?" Ari shouted at the man, despite her injuries. She wanted to hit the man before her, at least pin him to the wall and threaten the information out of him.

"Up that way ma'am." The man moved out of Ari's way as she pushed past him. "You shouldn't be up miss! Miss!" Ari wasn't listening though and continued her way up the stairs. At the end of the hall she went up a steep and winding staircase. Despite feeling lightheaded and nauseous she pressed on, taking the steps two at a time. When she got to the top, she felt winded, but went down the hall and looked into each room on the left and right of the hall. Most of the rooms were empty, others had wounded men. In one, King Théoden lay dead. Two guards standing at the foot of his funeral bed. Ari's heart fell and she said a silent blessing though she didn't know why as she wasn't exceptionally close to the king, nor had she known him very long. She had to stop twice and lean against the wall to clear her head of the sickening dizziness that washed over her and catch her breath. She finally made her way into a room, bright with light. In the bed to her right lay a man who she didn't recognize. His features were different than that of the people of Rohan. He was darker and thinner than any of the men she'd been associating with for the weeks leading up to the great battle. On her left, lay Eowyn. Ari walked slowly to the other woman's bedside and reached out to touch her pale cheek.

"She isn't dead." Ari leapt back and squinted into the sunlight streaming in through a window on the other side of Eowyn's bed. Eomer came away from the window and strolled around the foot of the bed to stand beside Ari. "You shouldn't be up and about."

"Gee, tell me something I didn't know." Ari said quietly. She kept her eyes on Eomer's face as he stood next to her. An intense silence descended over them and Ari finally broke it when it became unbearable. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. All of this."

"No it isn't." Eomer clasped her shoulder and squeezed slightly. "You are both strong women.—the entire orc army could not have stopped you…either of you." Ari sighed deeply. She felt drained and tired and she had an intense headache. She closed her eyes against the wave of exhaustion that suddenly descended onto her. "You need to rest." Ari opened her eyes and saw a chair at the foot of the bed and moved to it, sitting heavily.

"That's not what I had in mind." Eomer said as he brought a blanket to Ari. "You need to lie down."

"I need a new body…this one hurts." Ari said after the pounding in her head had stopped for a moment. "Are you mad at me?" Ari asked as Eomer tucked the blanket up under her chin, careful to avoid her injured arm.

"No—why should I be mad at you?" Eomer's face had not changed from his melancholy stare since she'd come into the room.

"Will you be mad at me if…if…" Ari didn't want to say it but Eomer got the message. He crouched down and brushed hair out of her still dirty face. "She isn't going to die. And I'm not mad at you." Ari nodded and the two of them kept watch over Eowyn. Eventually Ari drifted off to sleep. Eomer called for a cot to be brought up, knowing that she would be furious if she was taken out of the room where Eowyn was. Someone came in and washed the battle grime from Ari's face and arms.

Later that evening Ari awoke with a great fever. Dark shapes swam before her eyes in the dim yellow light of a lamp.

"Arianna? Arianna, are you awake?" The voice seemed far away and Ari turned her head and looked up into Aragorn's face. His eyes were tired and full of concern.

"Yeah…I think so…I don't want to be..." Ari replied.

"Drink this." Ari drank the sweet liquid that Aragorn poured down her throat. It took several moments for her to focus on what was going on around her, but she eventually did.

"What's going on? Why is it so cold?"

"You're ill…you have a raging fever." Another face bobbed into view just beyond Aragorn's. Aragorn turned slightly and whispered to the person behind him, "We've got to set her fingers or she'll never be able to use her hand ever again….her arm is going to have to be cauterized as well, or she could lose it." It was something that Ari wasn't meant to hear, but she heard it just the same. Ari knew that both things were going to hurt and didn't want to be a part of either. She made a move to sit up and get off the bed, but Aragorn pushed her back onto the cot and held her down. "No, Ari….stay down." Ari looked to the other side of the bed where Eomer's face suddenly bobbed into view to her right.

"This has to done Ari."

"No it DOESN'T!" Ari struggled against Aragorn again; trying to get away from the physical pain that she knew was imminent. Eomer waved Aragorn off and grasped Ari's shoulders gently. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked into Ari's scared eyes and willed her to relax.

"This has to be done Ari, let us help you." Eomer brushed hair back from her face and could feel the fever raging through her. "Relax and let us help…" Her eyes began to tear and her breathing came quickly.

"I'm scared…how can you expect me to relax?" Eomer reached down and clasped her right hand with his left and brought it up over her head, then he reached his right arm across her and pinned her to the bed.

"I'll be here with you….don't worry." Ari stared up into Eomer's eyes and tried to concentrate on him and not the pain she knew would come. She flinched when she felt someone's hand on her battered one. "Shh…concentrate on me. Keep looking at me Ari."

Ari gritted her teeth as the first wave of pain washed over her and she heard the grinding crunch of her finger being popped back into place. The second caused her to cry out and the third brought more tears to her eyes. Eomer released her from his hold and allowed her to catch her breath. He brushed the tears off her face.

"Just one more, Arianna." Aragorn was saying.

"No. Not without some major pain killers first." Ari ground out. She tried to fight again as Aragorn forcefully popped her middle finger back into place. Eomer once again had to hold her down. Ari leaned back and sobbed openly. Her hand hurt so badly. At least before Aragorn had popped her fingers back into place, she hadn't been able to move her fingers and feel the pain, now she could do both. Eomer got up and stood just out of Ari's view with Aragorn.

"What now?" He asked the other man. "She's been through so much just now."

"We have to take care of that cut on her arm….her elbow had been dislocated and they relocated it out on the battlefield, but that cut on her arm….Eomer, it's already becoming infected." Aragorn looked down at the woman lying in the bed. "If we don't do it now, the fever will run through her body and could kill her." Eomer moved back to Ari's bedside and stared down at her.

"Don't….please, don't let him…" Ari could see Aragorn moving beyond her bedside. "It hurts so much…" Her vision blurred for a moment and she fought to keep control of everything.

"I know it will, I'm not going to lie to you Ari. But you'll survive it." Eomer stroked her face and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"I won't…I won't…" Ari hated getting shots, much less having her arm scorched. She might act cavalier about some things, but when it came to pain, she was a huge chicken.

"You will." Eomer helped her sit up and maneuvered himself so he was sitting behind her. He cradled her in his arms while Aragorn and a nurse helped ready the materials to cauterize Ari's arm. "I can't lose you Ari. I won't lose you." Ari closed her eyes and relaxed against Eomer's strong chest. Her breathing slowed, though she still shuddered on every exhale, and she became calmer lying in his arms. It amazed her that he could have such an effect on her. Aragorn approached the bedside and took her good hand in his.

"I will be quick—I don't want to cause you more pain." Eomer tightened his arms around her chest and ribcage ensuring she wouldn't squirm. Ari watched as Aragorn pulled the old bandages from her arm. It was covered in dry blood from her elbow most of the way to her wrist. At the edges of the six inch wound, her skin was white and seemed to have bubbled back from itself, the infection trying to eat her skin away. Aragorn gently ran a rag across her arm, cleaning the dry blood from her arm. He gently touched the wound and Ari turned her head and hissed with the burning feeling of it.

"Don't look Ari…this will hurt." Ari felt the heat of the cauterizing iron on her skin long before it ever touched her. She grasped Eomer's arm tightly with her good hand and buried her face in the crook of his arm. Someone held her other arm down and she squeezed Eomer's tighter.

"Breathe Ari…" She heard Eomer whisper. She found it difficult to do so, but tried her best, she hadn't realized she was even holding her breath. Even though her eyes were closed tightly and she was turned away from the grizzly event she could feel the world spinning around her as Aragorn pressed the hot iron onto her skin, burning the flesh and fusing the wound closed. Eomer held her close, the only thing keeping her on earth, she thought vaguely as she screamed against the pain. Ari vaguely felt the other person releasing her hand and someone slowly and gently massaging a cooling salve into the fresh burn. Slowly, she released the vice like grip she'd had on Eomer's arm.

"Is it done yet?" Her eyes were still closed and she was still turned away from Aragorn.

"Aye. It's done now." Eomer stroked the side of her face and she slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. Eomer was stroking her upper arm trying to get her to relax further. "You're still feverish…you probably will be for a few days." Aragorn was saying as he re-bandaged her arm. "You need to get plenty of rest though in order to heal properly." Ari nodded slowly. She was tired and her adrenaline level had spiked and now was dropping off.

"Fantastic."

Eomer stayed with her throughout the night, giving her water and bathing her fevered brow. Ari drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the evening until she finally nodded off close to dawn.


	10. The Storm

_A.N---Thank You for your reviews! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that someone appreciates the crazy stuff the pours out of my mind during class. Please keep the reviews coming and share this story with your friends._

_Oh, and updates come quick because the story is finished, I'm just putting the chapters up in sections... Thanks Again!_

_Oh, and if you like my writing and would care to read or review anything else, I've got some work over on under the pen name EKU Rugby Girl. Thanks y'all!_

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Ari went through two full days of bed rest but finally won the battle against her nurses and managed to get out of bed. She had not seen Eomer since the night they'd set her hand. He'd been busy with the regiments and trying to get the city of Gondor cleaned up after the decimation of the Orc attack. When she found out that the Rohirrim was to be moving out against Mordor she was excited.

"Good, I can't wait to get out of this place." She said to the soldier who had told her the news.

"Are you well enough ma'am?"

"Of course I am." Ari didn't want to let on that she still had to take rests through out the day and that at night she sometimes slept fitfully because of the itchy burn in her arm.

"That is good to hear. Lord Eomer made it sound as if you were to be staying here to recuperate."

"What?" The man didn't need to explain again and Ari went in search of Eomer.

She found him in the stable rubbing down his mount.

"So, when do we leave?"

"We?" Eomer looked up over the back of the animal at Ari as she stroked another.

"I mean, I was surprised to learn it from someone else, I thought you'd tell me…but then, you have been rather busy lately."

"'We' aren't going anywhere. You're staying here."

"But the army is going to move on Mordor."

"You won't be coming along Ari."

"Am I the only one experiencing De ja Vu?" Ari said walking closer to Eomer. "Because, I mean, I feel like this has happened before."

"Yes, and remember how that experience turned out." He stared pointedly at her heavily bandaged left arm and she moved it behind her back slightly so he couldn't see it.

"So?"

"So…you need to stay here."

"But I want to go. I can't stay here…I'm going crazy…"

"No Ari…you went into battle last time and nearly got yourself killed. I won't allow you to do it again."

"I don't recall asking your permission."

"It doesn't matter; you still can not go." Eomer threw a blanket across the horses back and wouldn't look at Ari.

"Were you even going to tell me that you were going to leave?" Eomer didn't turn to her. "Well?"

"Yes—eventually."

"'Eventually?'" Ari felt light headed but continued anyway. "'Eventually?' I thought we were friends Eomer. Friends tell each other when they're going to go off and try to get themselves killed. They invite their friends to go along!"

"Would you?"

"Yes! In fact—I'm going to go jump from the tower, do you want to come along?" Ari replied.

"Ari, this is no joking matter." Eomer finally looked to where Ari stood. He could see the determination in her face and the pain in her eyes. "Arianna…"

"No—forget about it." Ari stormed out of the stable and stepped out into the sunlight. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

"I will not forget about it." Eomer was now standing in front of her. "Damn it, Woman—look at you! You're not even strong enough to have a verbal fight with me. What makes you think you can fight against Mordor?"

"I don't know." She answered quietly.

"Ari, even if you were well, I would ask you to stay here. I want you to stay here so Eowyn has a familiar face to wake up to. The Kings' leaf that Aragorn has been administering to her should be taking effect with-in the next few days."

"But I want to…"

"You know you are not strong enough to go."

"I know." Ari whispered slowly, admitting defeat. Eomer pulled her close to him and hugged her. "I just don't want you to leave." _Because I'm scared you won't come back._

Ari eventually went back to the room where Eowyn and the other man lay. She had discovered the man's name was Faramir and he was the son of the steward of Gondor; a man who had tried to murder his son and himself, but had only succeeded in the suicide.

The next day the combined army of Middle Earth left Gondor under Aragorn's flag. Eomer led the Rohirrim Cavalry and the two hobbits followed close behind the two men. Ari stood high atop the city and watched as the men left. She was worried about them. She knew most of the men would not return, but she hoped that Eomer and Aragorn would. Ari spent everyday up on the tower watching the horizon where the battle for the world she'd learned to love as if it were her own was taking place. She knew they'd win, but she was terrified that her presence would change something.

"They will return." Ari turned to see Eowyn clinging to the door frame. "He has good reason to."

"Eowyn! You're awake!"

"Yes…" Eowyn sat on the step and watched as Ari came running towards her and hugged her tightly. "What's come over you?"

"You're alive, that's what!" Ari released Eowyn and smiled brightly, "I was so afraid that you were going to die, you have no idea."

"No…"Eowyn laughed at Ari's expression. "But how are you?" Eowyn's gaze drifted across Ari's face and focused on the bandage about her arm.

"Merely a flesh wound. It hardly hurts at all anymore."

Eowyn was not one to be kept down. Though she was devastated over the loss of her uncle and still weak, she did her best to help her fellow country men. Eventually even Faramir, who had been injured far longer, was up and about. Ari wasn't sure of him though—he seemed a little creepy to her. He was always lurking around her and Eowyn. She felt like she was being stalked. Then it dawned on her that he was merely trying to get closer to Eowyn. Ari even saw them start walking together and once thought she saw them kiss while they were up on the battlement of the city wall.

One day the sky turned a terrible shade of black and cracked with a horrible green and white lightning. Ari was outside when the freak storm rolled in. She ran up to the high city walls and looked out over the fields to the high mountains of Mordor. The storm seemed to come from there.

"Please let them all be OK." Ari said aloud. "Please let them come back." The storm raged with lightening flickered across the bottoms of the clouds; thunder shook the walls of the city and the clouds swirled and churned above her. Then it was gone; just as suddenly as the storm had rolled in, it disappeared. Ari kept staring out to where she knew the armies would return from but saw no signs of catastrophe. She knew she wouldn't….they were all too far away, and though she vaguely remembered that Aragorn's army won, she couldn't remember all the details.


	11. Revelations

In the end, the armies returned and Aragorn took the throne of Gondor. Ari kept her distance from everyone, especially Eomer, in the days leading up to the coronation. She didn't want to dampen anyone's spirits during the time of celebration.

If anyone had asked Ari what was bothering her she could not have told them for she didn't even know herself. She was mopey for many reasons, but mostly it was restlessness from being penned up in the city of Gondor. Even the little hobbits had been able to go into the great battle, and Ari had been left behind in the city. One day Eowyn found Ari sitting in a high window sill. Her arm was no longer bandaged heavily and Ari was beating around like she had before she'd been hurt, mindless to the injuries dealt her. Eowyn shook her head.

"How did you manage to get yourself up there, Miss Ari?"

"Well, I stuck my thumb in my mouth and blew real hard and just sort of floated up here." Ari imitated the action and Eowyn laughed.

"Really now Ari…what is the matter with you? You've been so distant lately."

"I don't know 'Wyn. I'm just moody is all."

"Eomer asked about you this morning." Eowyn looked at Ari out the corner of her eye to see her reaction. "He's worried about you, you know."

"Well he shouldn't be."

"Ari you are more stubborn than he is." Eowyn threw down the blankets and bandages she'd been carrying and put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me?" Eowyn sat heavily on a bed and stared up to where Ari was sitting.

"You are stubborn. He is stubborn. Your stubbornness put together is vexing. You need to talk to him."

"Why? 'Wyn, I don't belong here. How can I go to him, let myself love him when I can't be sure I'll be able to stay here." Eowyn suddenly understood where Ari was coming from with astounding clarity.

"So you mean to say that if you were sure to stay in Middle Earth…?"

"You bet…" Ari stared blankly out the window into the pale golden light of the afternoon. "You bet…." Eowyn left the room slowly to leave Ari to her thoughts.

Aragorn's coronation was the next day. People had come from the far reaches of Middle Earth to see the coronation. Ari tried to back out of the crowd but quickly found herself pulled into the thick of it by Eowyn.

"You must stand with us." Eowyn pushed Ari to where she was standing beside Eomer. "Faramir and I are going to find a better spot to stand." Eowyn was suddenly gone, swallowed by the throng around them.

_Damn you Eowyn…I hate you for this._ Ari thought as the tension built around her and Eomer.

"So how are you?" Eomer asked quietly.

"I'm OK. You?"

"I'm…OK." Eomer grinned shyly. He still felt odd using some of the slang she did, but he enjoyed it. "You look beautiful." Ari had worn a black dress with gold embroidery. She wore her choker and had braided the Eagle's feather into her hair as well. She looked very regal.

"Thank you." Ari looked up to where the coronation was starting. At some point during the ceremony Eomer slipped his hand into Ari's. Ari looked up into Eomer's gold flecked eyes and wanted him then and there, but she knew it couldn't be. She smiled sadly as Aragorn made his way through the crowd. Arwen, the beautiful elf princess and love of Aragorn's life was in attendance, as well as the remaining members of the fellowship. Sam and Frodo had returned to the city with Gandalf and the army. The Fellowship had lost only one member, Faramir's brother Boromir; a man who had been consumed by the Great Ring's power. Now Pippin, Merry, Sam and Frodo stood together watching the coronation from a place of honor. Aragorn and Arwen approached the four Halflings and smiled as they bowed. Aragorn said something that Ari couldn't hear and then he and Arwen bowed to the hobbits, and everyone present followed suit. It was a moment that Ari knew she'd never forget.

The atmosphere in the city of Gondor was jovial and celebratory , but Ari wasn't in the mood to party. She wanted to get good and drunk so that the hollow feeling in her gut would disappear. She went up high into the Gondor Palace and stared blankly at the Palenor fields.

Those fields had been soaked in blood not two weeks before, now they were home to thousands that had come to view the coronation.

Ari was still staring out onto the fields when Eomer came into the room. He stared at her for sometime before he eventually approached her. Her dark hair had been pulled into an intricate bun for the evening party. The gown she wore was different, but still dark in color. Eomer had never seen anyone more beautiful than this woman standing before him. He stood just behind her and followed her gaze out the window.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked close to her ear. Ari jumped and turned to face him.

"Do you HAVE to sneak up on people?"

"Aye." Eomer smiled down at her, her breath coming in raped gasps from the fright Eomer had given her. "It gives me great pleasure to scare someone." Ari turned quickly back to the window.

"Well, you shouldn't. It isn't nice." _Oh, and that's just so mature…_ Ari mentally abused herself for the stupid comment.

Eomer smiled broadly and followed Ari's gaze back out to the Palenor fields where lights winked happily back at them.

"It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were fighting for our very lives out there." Ari finally said.

"That it is." Eomer reached for Ari's arm and lightly touched where they had been forced to cauterize it. "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I touch it." Eomer removed his hand quickly. Silence descended upon the tower as the sun descended below the horizon. Several times Eomer wanted to say something to Ari; to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid to.

"_I, who have been in so many battles and faced death so many times…am afraid to reach out and touch a woman."_ Eomer thought.

Ari could feel the tension in the air between them, the pressure almost unbearable. She wished that he would touch her or something…yet also wished that he would just turn around and leave without another word. Eomer cleared his throat as if he were going to say something, but hesitated.

_Do something! _Ari's mind screamed but her body wouldn't move, no matter how much she willed it. The sun finally dipped below the horizon, bathing the world in a pale blue light and adding a slight chill to the night air. Ari shivered against it and hugged her arms to her chest. She flinched as Eomer's strong arms wrapped around her.

"Ari…."

"Yes?" When Eomer didn't respond right away Ari turned to look at him. His eyes seemed to glow gold in the dying light, his jaw was set and though Ari tried to read him, she found it impossible. "What? What is it?" The words came out just above a whisper; they caught in Ari's throat and wouldn't come out with the force she intended.

"I've never met anyone like you, Arianna. I…When I'm with you…the whole world melts away." Eomer diverted his eyes from her face and tried to continue. "What I wouldn't give for a poets tongue right now." His whispered words only barely reached Ari's ears. She turned in his arms so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Ha! And what use would a warrior have for a poet's tongue?" Ari chided. The stars were just beginning to wink in the black sky. Eomer grasped her shoulders.

"Well, occasionally, we warriors have the need for something besides blood and fighting. Sometimes we have the desire to tell a fine woman how lovely she is." Ari closed her eyes trying to block out his words, but his hands on her shoulders kept her from doing so. "We sometimes have the need to tell someone that they mean more than the world to us."

"Eomer…don't." Ari whispered, the tears already starting to stream down her face. His words, words that she'd longed to hear from someone for so long, cut into her like a thousand knives, knowing she could never truly have him.

"No, Ari." Eomer's voice was sharp as he cut her off. "Let me finish…"

_It's every lie you've ever heard from every male…don't believe him. _She tried to convince herself.

"Ari, I don't care if you leave tomorrow….I love you and I'd do anything…ANYTHING to keep you close to me, but I know that there are higher powers and that it may be impossible for me to do so."

"Stop…please." Ari sobbed. She wiped the tears away from her face, trying to keep him from knowing what she was feeling. She was usually so stoic; why now did she have to become some blubbering freak?

"Why? Tell me Ari." Eomer turned her to face him. "Tell me why you've been ignoring me and dodging me. Why you won't let me tell you how I feel about you? Why must I stop?" His words were full of frustration and anger, his eyes full of confusion as he searched her tear stained face for an answer.

"Because, I love you too!" Ari was angry at him and at herself. _Why did I tell him that?_ She was shocked and clasped her hand over her mouth as if afraid something more would spill forth through her sobs. Eomer stared at her as the large crocodile sized tears spilled from her closed eyes and over her cheeks. Slowly she took her hand from her mouth and looked up at Eomer. "Don't you understand? I love you, but it will hurt less if we just don't say anything…if I just…disappear."

"I won't let you 'disappear' Arianna." Eomer brushed the tears from her face and she tried to pull away from him. "Look at me Ari. Look…" He touched her chin, and brought her gaze to his. "I would never want to hurt you. Ever. I think you know that." Ari didn't move, but her eyes told Eomer she understood. "Whatever comes, we'll get through it…together…" Eomer kissed Ari and felt her hesitate for the briefest of moments before she responded. Ari wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue slowly over Eomer's lip and into his mouth.

_You know, for someone from Middle Earth, he's a damn good kisser._


	12. In the Heat of the Night

_A.N.--- WARNING! It gets sort of graphic this chapter...If you don't like this kind of thing, you should skip this chapter._

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Eomer's hands caressed her sides slowly as he pulled her closer to him. Ari pressed against him and felt the only way she could get any closer was if she crawled inside his well muscled chest. They broke the kiss slowly, reluctantly and stared into each others eyes.

"Let's retire for the evening." Eomer whispered brushing a stray lock of hair off her face. "I don't want you to leave my side." He kissed her gently and felt her lips play back in response. They left the high tower and went to Eomer's room. Eomer locked the door and turned back to Ari in nearly the same movement, devouring her mouth hungrily.

Ari moaned…she'd been horny since that day so long ago when she'd been at school playing soccer and riding her motorcycle. She'd merely had other things on her mind since then; finding herself in Middle Earth, Prison, fighting with the Rohirrim and her injuries, Eomer made all those past events seem trivial. He reached up and curled his fingers into her hair, loosening it from its many pins and sending it cascading over her shoulders in dark waves. Neither one was sure how they made it to the bed, but Ari soon found herself falling into the soft downy pillows, pinned by Eomer's body above her. The feel of Eomer's hand suddenly on her thigh made Ari moan and kiss him harder. Her back arched when his hand slowly slid higher. She absently worked at the fastenings of his tunic and pushed it off his broad shoulders. He released his hold on her enough to shrug out of the heavy garment and throw it on the floor beside the bed. Ari bit his lip lightly as he ran both hands up her back and pulled at the laces of the bodice. Her heart raced and threatened to thump out of her chest with every caress of his hands. With every touch of his lips to hers she found her breath catching in her lungs; it was electric the feelings he could produce in her. Ari and Eomer broke their kiss long enough for Ari to peel Eomer's shirt from his body, but once the collar cleared his mane of sun bleached hair their lips crushed against each others' again. By then Eomer had managed to loosen Ari's laces and she too shrugged out of the bodice of the dress she was wearing and threw it to the floor beside Eomer's garments. Ari ran her hands across his chest and back and could feel the places on his body where he had been scarred in battle. One was still relatively fresh and marked his chest across the side of his rib cage. A matching scar streaked across his right cheek, a token of the battle in the shadows of Fanghorn. She traced the scar across his face lightly with her fingertips as she looked into his beautiful eyes. He closed them again as she traced the line of his jaw and down across his chest. She placed her open hand upon his chest and could feel his heart beating strongly. She kissed him gently as she guided his hand to her waist. They stared into one another's eyes as Eomer slowly unlaced her skirt and the two of them pulled it over her hips and pushed it to the foot of the bed. Eomer slowly entwined his fingers in hers and pushed her back into the mattress. Her black hair spread across the covers and spilled across her shoulders. The white shift that she now wore clung to her body tightly in places and Eomer wanted to touch her everywhere at once, her very look was so inviting. Eomer was positive that she was the most beautiful and enchanting woman he had ever met. He looked down upon her and took in every curve and swell of her body. Every breath she took made the gentle swell of her breast rise and fall invitingly, every move she made beneath him aroused him more and more. He held her hands above her head and leaned down to place a trail of light kisses across her jaw and neck. He sucked lightly at the base of her neck before kissing across her collar bone. With one hand he reached down and caressed the smooth skin of her neck, down over her collar bone and over the linen of the shift, gently tracing the curve of her breast. Ari moaned as Eomer gently caressed her and brushed his thumb over her tightening nipple. The things he did to her were amazing. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but couldn't because of the way he held her. He removed his hand from her breast and kissed her forcefully again, their tongues dueling erotically. Eomer reached down and pulled up the bottom of the shift and ran his hand up Ari's smooth, strong legs and let it rest against her hip.

"I love you, Arianna." Eomer whispered against her lips as he brushed his fingers against the gentle swell of her sex, causing her to arch her back invitingly towards him. She moaned as he fingered her.

"God…don't toy with me." She moaned against his cheek. "Please don't make me wait." Ari wasn't sure how the two of them ended up naked and beneath the sheets of Eomer's bed, but she soon found herself running her leg up Eomer's and wrapping it around his waist as he prepared to enter her. Ari arched her back, her hips meeting his as he gently pushed his manhood into her.

She was far from a virgin, but this was different than anything she'd experienced in bed. Slowly he thrust into her and pulled back out, then repeated the motion, all the while caressing her back, breasts, hair…anything he could touch. Ari dug her nails into his arms and back as she climaxed around him.


	13. So Little Time

They made love to each other several times that night. It was the best sex Ari had ever had, perhaps because it meant more to her than just a casual lay and a good time. With Eomer, it was different, the whole thing, from the look in his eyes to the way he touched her body. Ari finally awoke that morning with her hands entwined with Eomer's, her head upon his strong arm. She felt comfortable and warm….and safe. She'd never felt so safe with another man, not even her father. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Ari felt certain that this was the greatest thing in the world and wished that she never had to move from that moment; the moment where she could feel Eomer, hear his heart beat, smell him…Eomer began to stir behind her, his hand slowly caressed her side. He leaned up and placed a gentle kiss at the curve of her neck and watched as she smiled slowly.

"Good Morning." He whispered close to her ear. She opened her eyes and looked back at him.

"Good morning." She said groggily. She stretched her arms above her head and rolled to face him. He kissed her and then looked into her beautiful gray eyes. Nothing needed to be said between them. Eomer and Ari were still cuddling when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Eomer called out.

"Hama, My Lord. Your presence is required at the throne room."

"I'll be there soon." Eomer nuzzled his head into Ari's neck and sighed, his breath tickling Ari's throat. "If only I could stop time and stay here with you forever…" He kissed her and then swiftly got out of bed and dressed. He approached the bedside and kissed her gently before leaving. Ari got out of bed soon after and dressed herself. She went back to her room, bathed and changed clothes. She wandered the city until lunchtime when she went back to eat something. There was still a celebratory air around the city as the coronation had been only the day before.

When night fell she went back to Eomer's room.

Ari and Eomer spent as much time together as they could. Every spare moment they could get they took for themselves. She was wandering through the city markets one day and he pulled her down a deep dark alley and into a hidden courtyard where they made out for some time before Ari had the strength to break the tryst before it went too far. Another time she snuck up on him in the stables and they ended up making love in the loft. It wasn't long until odd things began happening around the city. Pots, boxes and jars inexplicably exploded without warning, tapestries spontaneously combusted. The weather was unpredictable; one minute sunny and warm, the next snowing. Ari never saw any of these occurrences with her own eyes, but she realized that when the strange events were happening it was usually while she was with Eomer.

She eventually was summoned to meet with Aragorn. She didn't understand why she would be called to the throne room, but she knew by the messenger's tone that it was urgent. She was wearing her leather pants and a tunic she'd borrowed from Eomer. She walked into the big room and stared around at the tall marble columns and big alabaster statues. The floor was a dark gray color and shone with the high polish that had been painstakingly worked into it. It was an imposing room. Ari saw Gimli standing to one side and went to join him.

"What's this all about?" she whispered. But the dwarf only shook his head and stared at Aragorn upon the throne. He was dealing with some business and had not yet noticed Ari off to the side. Ari found a chair deep in the shadows and flopped listlessly into it, picking at her fingernails. Ari watched from her spot in the shadows as everyone, including Eomer filed in.

"Gimli, where did Arianna go?" Aragorn asked when the other business had been taken care of. "I thought I saw her a moment ago."

"I do not know my friend…she wandered off some time ago."

"We'll call for her again in time, for now I wish to discuss some things." Pippin snickered softly and grinned at Arianna. He knew where she was but would not tattle on her.

"Has anyone else noticed anything strange occurring?" Gandalf asked from the steps leading up to Aragorn's great throne.

"Aye—one minute the sky is sunny the next it's snowing." Merry answered.

"Urns and jars explode without reason or provocation." Faramir added.

"It is only spill over, from the destruction of the great ring, isn't it?" Pippin asked, but Gandalf was already shaking his head.

"Nay, there is a great imbalance in our world. Something is out of place."

"Arianna." Ari heard her name whispered by many different people in the room.

"No….she can't be the reason." Pippin said staring at her.

"She always said she was of another world." Merry said softly.

"What do we do?"

"I'm not sure, but we must find a way to send her back." Ari's breath caught in her chest. This was by far the moment she'd been dreading since she had allowed herself to fall head over heels for Eomer. She had always known it would come, but she didn't think she'd have to hear about it so soon. She steadied herself as best she could and rose from her eat and strode into the light.

"So, what do we do?" Everyone turned to where Ari stood leaning lazily against one of the large pillars.

"How long have you been listening?" Gandalf looked shocked.

"Ari, we meant to break this to you differently…." Faramir offered gently.

"It's alright…I'm not blind, I've noticed the strange occurrences too."

"Then you understand that you can not stay in Middle Earth." Aragorn said softly.

"Yes." Ari closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could not bear to look at Eomer for if he felt for her half of what she felt for him she knew it pained him to listen to this discussion.

"How did you arrive here anyway?" Gimli asked bringing her out of her brief reverie. "It's not as if you just appeared upon a horse beside Eomer." Eomer turned his face away from the group.

"I was riding my motorcycle to the bar after my soccer game." She could see the confused looks and decided to elaborate. "A motorcycle is a machine that people can ride…and a bar is a…..a tavern if you will." She looked over to where Eomer stood, his face showing little emotion; he seemed to be trying to block what she was saying. She thought back to the moment when she'd been driving along the road. "A sinkhole opened up before me and I tried to turn away from it, but I fell in. When I woke up, I was here—Rohan---Middle Earth."

"What of your motorcycle?" Gandalf asked.

"It was totaled when I got here…members of the Rohirrim picked me up and brought me to the Golden Hall."

The interrogation Ari experienced for the next hour was draining. Eventually she got pissed off and left the throne room swearing at those left behind. Eomer found her hours later in the stables sitting in the rafters.

"Do you know that you are a very hard person to find?" Eomer said leaning against the door frame. "Gondor is a very big city."

"Fantastic." Ari's voice was dead.

"What's wrong Ari?" Eomer said coming into the stable and climbing into the rafters to sit across from Ari.

"Nothing." Ari shimmied through the sky light and onto the heavy thatched roof. She hugged her knees closer to her and stared at the distant mountains. Eomer settled in close beside her and sighed.

"I knew this day would come, I did---but I was hoping it wouldn't."

"We both were." Eomer drew her closer to him. "This world is not yours. Your family, friends, neighbors…no one you know is here."

"I don't care!" Ari said shrugging him off. "that doesn't mean anything!"

"But it does Arianna—you need your family to help support you."

"I need you." Eomer kissed Ari deeply and held her until well after the sunset.

It was three days before Eomer and Ari were summoned back to the throne room. Three days full of love-making and happiness for Ari and Eomer.


	14. Return

"Ari you must pack. Gandalf has found a way to send you home." Ari and Eomer were holding hands when Aragorn broke the news to them. "I'm so sorry."

"Right now?"

"Right now." Ari nodded slowly and turned to go collect her few belongings. Eowyn stood back and watched as Ari slowly folded her clothes and put them into a satchel.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much, my sister." Eowyn said with tears streaming down her face.

"Please don't cry 'Wyn. I can't take it." Ari said brushing tears out of her own eyes. "Now, let me finish packing…I'll see you all in the throne room in a minute." Ari took one last look around the room she'd been in the past few weeks and sighed. She was going to miss Middle Earth's simple beauty. She turned to leave and found Eomer was standing in the door way.

"I don't know how I'll live without you." He said quietly.

"You have to." Ari tried to smile but found it hard to; her face would not function. "You know you have to lead your people."

"No…I was never meant to deal in politics…Eowyn and Theodred were always better suited to that sort of thing."

"Then you have to protect Rohan."

"It will mean nothing as long as you aren't here." Eomer pulled Ari into a tight embrace and did not release her for some time. They slowly walked back to the great hall, never once losing contact with one another.

"Are you ready Arianna?" Gandalf extended his hand and waited for Ari to step forward.

"Go on Eomer…live your life…find some Rohirrim woman and live a good full life." Ari said turning to Eomer and clasping his hand tightly in her own.

"I won't Ari. I love you." He kissed her quickly and watched as she slowly pulled away from him.

"I love you too." Ari whispered as she backed towards Gandalf. She said her good byes to everyone, especially little Pippin and Merry. "Be careful on your journey home. You've got great things to do with the rest of your lives." The two hobbits teared up and hugged her tightly before she could return to the center of the great hall where Gandalf stood.

"This has every possibility to be painful Ari. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Ari held tight to the satchel as Gandalf began chanting a spell. Ari felt herself drop suddenly and the room began spinning around her. She closed her eyes to keep from seeing the psychotic spinning. Then she felt an intense pain wind its way through her body. She felt as if she'd been cleaved in two and no matter how hard she tried she could not keep from screaming. She heard someone shout her name and then felt a great rush of wind whip around her.

Rain dripped quietly down the thick glass of Ari's Fourth floor window. She lay in bed, her face crushed against the bunk top, and watched sadly as each drop slithered out of view. She sat up slowly and rubbed her face.

"_It can't have been a dream….it can't have."_

"Ari? What the fuck are you doing in there? Is everything OK? Ari open this door now!" Ari could hear her next door neighbor pounding on her door. "Arianna?"

Ari got out of bed and went to open the door.

"Sorry Beth---what's wrong?"

"You were screaming—sounded like a freighter just landed in your room."

"Sorry, I was having a bad dream…" Ari closed the door before Beth could ask anymore questions and slid down her door. She rubbed her face for a few minutes more before she finally stood and went to the mirror to pull her hair back and froze. He was still wearing one of Eomer's tunics and her arm was scarred.

"It wasn't a dream then….it was all real." Ari's phone rang twice and she dove on it to answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, where the hell are you?" It was Kylen, a teammate. "We just drove by your dorm and saw your bike sitting there. Did you forget we had a game today?"

"No, I'm just heading out, I'll be right there." Ari quickly grabbed her soccer clothes and motorcycle helmet and bolted for the streets. She leapt onto her motorcycle and started up. Gandalf had apparently sent her back hours before she had appeared in Middle Earth. She felt relaxed for some reason, but Ari attributed it to the depression she was slipping into over losing Eomer. She changed quietly at the gym and went out to the field.

"Hey mopey, did you not get enough beauty sleep last night?" Cameron shouted out.

"Well she won't get any tonight either if she comes home with me."

"Fuck you Damien." Ari spat as she dropped her bag and jogged onto the field to start warming up. She heard laughter behind her as everyone made fun of Damien. She became angry on the field and played her best game ever.

"It's as if she knows where the ball is going to be before we kick it there." Kylen commented. And it was true…Ari did know. Ari made a back breaking matrix like move when the ball came zooming for her head. Her long black hair flipping silkily through the air. People cheered and Ari scored for the third time. He was jogging back to center when a figure on the hill caught her attention. He was standing on the hill just behind the goal; he looked like Eomer.

"Ari! Look out!" Someone collided with Ari just after the ball slammed into the back of her head.

"Mother Fucker that Hurt!" Ari yelled as she pushed herself up. When she looked again for the figure on the hill he was gone.

"Where the hell was your head at Ari? Come on!" Ari shook her head and went back to playing the game.

She showered slowly, letting the hot water relax her muscles and ease some of her thoughts.

"Ari what happened to your arm?" One of her teammates asked. "It looks like you burned it."

"It's an old scar. I've had it forever."

"Oh, sorry….I guess I just noticed it is all." Ari put on her leather pants and her big boots. He slung her jacket over her shoulder on her way out the door.

"Meeow, that's a sexy site!" Damien called out. "How do I get me some of that?" The cavalier pulled up beside Ari's bike.

"You never will Damien…you're a pompous, conceited dick ball and you'll never get anything from me, even if you were the last dick on earth." Ari strapped her bag to the bike while she was talking to and then turned when she'd finished. "And don't tell me not to be a bitch Sharon…I'll act however I want."

"Fuck you Ari!" The car sped away and Ari stood beside the bike feeling suddenly very alone. Mark pulled up in his truck and told Ari to drive carefully…just as he had done so many weeks before.

_But it hasn't been weeks…it hasn't even been days or anything._

"I'll be fine Mark, thanks."

"Are you sure you don't want to throw your bike in the bed of the truck? I mean, it wouldn't take much…"

"Mark, let me get to the bar my way. Just back off, would you?"

"Are you positive?"

"Mark!"

"fine, see you at the bar." Mark sped away, his big truck rumbling out of the parking lot.

Ari was finally able to start her bike, the gently purr growling across the parking lot.

"And to think I thought you were a lady." Ari's head snapped up and stared at the man straddling a black and blue motorcycle not thirty feet away. She killed her engine and stared, mouth agape at the man beaming back at her.

"Excuse me?" Ari flipped her hair back. There was no way it could be him…

"I said 'and to think that I thought you were a lady.'" The man got off his bike and approached the spot where Ari still straddled her bike. "Say something Ari, you look as if you've seen a ghost."

"I'm not seeing a ghost?" The man shook his head. "Eomer?" Her voice was strained, as if caught in her throat.

"Aye, it's me." Ari couldn't move from her spot but sat transfixed as Eomer continued his slow stroll towards her bike. He was less than five feet away from her and she could see every wonderful detail of his face. His sun bleached hair still hung past his broad shoulders, the leather cycling jacket cutting a nice profile on his lean frame. Ari couldn't believe it.

"But how…you can't….How did…" Ari's questions were stopped by Eomer's forceful kiss.

"I only ever had one request of the high king and that was to be near you." He said, their foreheads touching.

"But won't Middle Earth be out of balance?"

"No, you see, I serve no purpose there." Ari shook her head.

"You are the third Marshall of the Mark! Of course you serve a purpose!"

"Eowyn and Faramir are to marry and they are to rule Rohan." Eomer said cutting her off. "Aragorn and the Lady Arwen are in Gondor and the Halflings are returning from whence they came. I am not needed to be a marshal. Anyone can do that; they can easily replace me. But no one could replace you." Ari leapt from her bike as quickly as she could and rushed into Eomer's strong arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto him as he spun around. She kissed him passionately, her fingers entwined in his gorgeous hair.

"I'm so happy you're here, you have NO idea!" Ari buried her head in his neck and breathed in his scent.

"I think I just might…." Eomer said laughing. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Erik." Ari looked deep into his green eyes and smiled.

"I don't care what your name is…..as long as you're here with me." They kissed again, relishing the moment. "Let's go."

"Where? The…what did he call it…the bar?"

"Hell no…we're going to my room." Ari said matter of factly.

"What for?" Ari leaned forward and whispered for sometime in Eomer's ear. When she was finished Eomer set her down on the ground quickly and got onto his own bike. "Lead the way; I'll not hold you back."

Ari laughed and together they sped off towards campus. Ari could never imagine anything better as they headed towards the waning sun and into a night full of ecstasy.

_A/N---Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! And as Porky Pig says "Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-That's All Folks!"_


	15. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Well, the reviews are in and I just may have to extend Ari's and Eomer's (Erik's) Adventures…hmmmm………..I'll consider it….

I'll also get cracking on some of my other fan fictions………….Sorry y'all…I hate to disappoint you.


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